More Than Just a Number
by vinjhup
Summary: Elsa is coming off quite possibly the lowest point in her life when she meets Anna. As fate would have it, she's quite possibly the most perfect girl Elsa has ever met and she decides to make them happen. Unfortunately there's one small detail that could put a wrench in her plans. Rated T for swearing and, ahem, suggestive language.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_3: 15_

Elsa groaned and rolled her eyes. She had been waiting in the parking lot of her sister's school for fifteen minutes now and her patience was running thin.

"Where _are _you?" Elsa asked exasperatedly. What was taking her so long? Had she just up and forgotten that Elsa was going to be picking her up this semester? Did she join yet _another _club that she would be overtly excited for and flake out on after two weeks? Was...was she waiting on the _other _side of the school? Wait that wouldn't make any sense, there's no parking lot on the other side. Then again she wouldn't put it past her sister to do something like that.

With a weary sigh, Elsa forced herself out of her car, letting the all too nostalgic sound of highschoolers conversing about random nonsense disrupt her ears. The riveting conversations ranged from how terrible their teachers were, or how much homework they got even though it was only the first week of class, or about who was dating whom. It was all pointless gibberish that followed her from her alma mater of Arendelle High to her new home in Arendelle University.

Although it had been two years since she had last set foot in this cesspool of immaturity and superfluousness, the layout of the place was still very familiar. She could easily walk through these hallways with her eyes closed but that wouldn't really accomplish anything since she needed them open to scan for her sister. She unlocked her phone to check for any last minute messages which turned out to be a terrible mistake. The device lit up, revealing the last page it was on: A message dated a month ago from a woman named Belle.

_I'm sorry I can never be everything you're looking for. But I know someday you'll find someone who is._

The words still struck her deeply and she swiped away from them as fast as possible, but the damage had already been done. And here she thought she was going to have at least a decent day today.

A couple more taps brought her to the page she was looking for and she pouted.

_Elise (0 new messages)_

"Dammit, sis? Where the hell are you?" Elsa muttered under her breath. There weren't many students inside the school to begin with so it shouldn't have been this hard to find a blonde mix of joy and sass, and yet here she was wandering around aimlessly trying to find the aforementioned combination. Rounding corner after corner yielded her the same result, a practically empty hallway and a pout on her face growing more disappointed by the second. As she rounded another corner, she habitually looked back at her phone to yet again check for any messages when she felt someone bump into her and topple over.

The force had also caused her to drop her phone and just as she was about to shout out a rather vulgar exclamation, she heard a yelp followed by a thud. Multiple thuds, actually, in quick succession. It seemed that her blind pacing had sent an innocent girl tumbling to the ground. And as she watched the girl's teal eyes widen in shock, her strawberry blonde pigtails swaying forward from the impact, and her body contorting to soften the landing, there was one thought in Elsa's mind that prevailed over them all:

This girl was freaking cute.

"Ow..." the girl meekly uttered.

Instinctively, Elsa knelt down to help pick up the heinous amount of papers and books that had scattered on the floor. It was the least she could do, and keeping her eyes set on the floor kept her from ogling this girl. What with her plaid, long-sleeved shirt that hugged her petite figure so well, and her jeans that fit snug against her waist, and her...

_Hey! Focus on the papers, you pervert._

It was then Elsa noticed that not only had she just stopped picking anything up, but that she hadn't said a single word this entire time.

"Sorry about that.", she said awkwardly. "Are you alright?"

"It's okay, I'm fine really." the girl replied while brushing a bit of her hair behind her ears, which Elsa found to be _the _most adorable thing ever. Honestly, she was cute enough just looking at her but these subtle motions she was doing made Elsa's cheeks ferociously red. And her _voice_. As meek and nervous as it seemed, it _also _seemed like this perfect blend of light hearted and warm and oh my god she could listen to her speak for forever.

_Dammit Elsa, I said focus! Stop daydreaming over someone you just met._

Unfortunately the word "daydream" was enough for her mind to wander to a place that was less...restricted. All she could think of now was throwing the books back onto the floor, climbing on top of this complete stranger, straddling her hips and...

_No! You get that thought out of your mind right now! Stop being a creep._

Elsa noticed that the girl had been talking, albeit rather nervously, this whole time as she knelt down, awkwardly clutching this stack of paper in her hands. It would have been rude to stop her mid-sentence but she needed to get her attention because..well she wanted to get her attention. She looked down at one of the papers for guidance and found a wonderful new conversation starter.

"So, your name's Anna?" Elsa blurted out.

"What?" the girl asked rather frightened, "H-how did you..." She looked down at the papers in Elsa's hands and calmed down, "Oh...uh, yeah it is. Why?"

"Oh no reason, it's just that..."

_It's the most beautiful name I've ever heard. _

"It's a very interesting name is all. I...like it." Elsa actually said.

_Oh my god, you are so many kinds of awkward around pretty girls._

"Th-thanks." Anna replied. Her voice was full of skepticism but the blush on her freckled cheeks gave her away. To Elsa's relief, she had responded well to the strange compliment. "Do you...go here?"

"Me? No." Elsa scoffed, "I went here for four years, I've done my time in this dump."

"So...you've already graduated then?" Anna inquired as she picked up the remainder of her scattered supplies. They both stood up off the floor and Elsa noticed how short Anna actually was. She had a good few inches on her with Anna's line of sight just barely hitting Elsa's chest area.

_Well hey, that'll make it easier for her to- dammit I told you to stop thinking like that!_

"Yeah, almost two years ago. I go to Arendelle University, so I guess it's one of those 'Out of the fire, into the frying pan' kind of deals." Elsa laughed sarcastically before realizing she had sunken into her usual demeanor of her jaded, cynical, and highly off-putting self. "Wow I sound like a real bitch, don't I? Look don't listen to me, I'm just a burnt out graduate who thinks life absolutely sucks. You? You've probably got a lot to look forward to."

And for some reason Elsa felt like the next logical course of action would be to place a hand on Anna's plaid-covered shoulder, freezing her in place due to the sheer awkwardness of what she just did. Here she was, a hand on this stranger's shoulder, not wanting to pull away cause it might hurt her feelings...somehow. But wanting to pull away at the same time in order to _try _and save herself from the sheer amount of embarrassment she was already feeling. Then again, the fabric felt unbelievably soft under her fingers and oh my god she felt a bra strap underneath-

_I hate you brain. So..so much._

Fortunately for her, Anna seemed to have a knack for remedying awkward situations with a simple question. "Erm..if you don't mind me asking, what's _your_ name?"

"Elsa, it's Elsa." the gawky blonde replied almost too quickly.

"Well then, it's nice to meet you Elsa." Anna smiled, and it practically melted Elsa's heart. Her lips curved up almost too perfectly and her freckled cheeks revealed these adorable dimples. Her unbelievable perfectness just seemed unfair. "Why are you back here anyway?"

"Oh well, my sister is...somewhere here and I can't find her at _all_. It's insane. Don't think that I come around here just to pick up high school chicks that'd be way too pathetic. And creepy. Even for me. And I am the epitome of creepiness. Like here I am touching your shoulder for no good reason and I..." Elsa finally dropped her hand from said shoulder and sighed. Pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes as she did so. "I think I'll just stop talking now..."

And she did indeed stop talking.

And Anna started laughing.

And Elsa felt herself losing it.

"Oh relax, Elsa." Anna said as her laughter died down. "Hey! Maybe I can help you find her."

Elsa's ears perked up at that idea. "Really?!" she blurted out way too eagerly. "I mean, uh...yeah that'd be great. Thanks."

"No problem, I'm glad to help. What's her name? Maybe I'll know her."

"I doubt it, she's only a freshman." Elsa scoffed once more. "An annoying little freshman I may add, and her name's Elise."

"Elise?" Anna scrunched up her eyebrows and then nodded, "Oh yeah! I know who she is, she's in my-"

"Elsa!" a more than slightly annoyed voice interrupted.

The two girls turned to see an adorably furious and younger version of Elsa pace towards them. She shared the same blue colored eyes. But instead of wearing her hair in a giant, physically impossible braid, she kept it straight. She was the same height as Anna which Elsa found rather surprising. Either she had underestimated how tall Elise really was, or Anna was just short for...whatever age she was.

When the frustrated freshman finally reached them, she pouted fiercely at Elsa. Standing next to the confused strawberry blonde and not saying a word. The pout was supposed to show how serious she was, but 14 years old was too young to really pull off a serious pout.

"You're late." Elise finally muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Elsa asked confused.

"I was waiting out _there..." _Elise pointed behind her towards a still swinging set of double doors that looked out towards the south side of the school. "...for almost half an hour!"

Elsa leaned over to look behind her sister, "Uh...you..._do _know that there's no parking lot on that side of the school, right? How am I supposed to pick you up from there?"

"I don't know!" Elise furiously shrugged, a move she actually _was _able to pull off, "Think of something! You're the one with the car!"

"What am I supposed to do just drive over the field and ruin it just so you don't have to walk to the other side of the campus?" Elsa retorted.

"Ugh, you're impossible." Elise groaned in the same fashion her older sister had done previously. A giggle was heard that broke up their ridiculous dispute. Anna tried to stifle the giggle with her hand and looked away from the two, her cheeks red from containing a growing burst of laughter.

"Psst, Elsa. Who's this?" Elise whispered unsubtly.

"I'm sorry, don't let me interrupt you." Anna said through her giggle fit. "You two are just so alike, it's funny."

Of course Elsa vehemently denied that, they were a lot more different than they were letting on. But before she could verbally dispute that claim, she felt a tight grip on her wrist.

"Well I'd love to continue this conversation but Elsa, you and I really need to get going." Elise tugged at her sister's arm impatiently. "It was nice meeting you, uh..."

"Anna. My name's Anna." she replied as she leaned on a locker and stared at the two sisters with another heart-melting smile on her face.

"It was nice to meet you, Anna!" Elsa shouted out as she was dragged around a corner.

She got one last look at the most gorgeous stranger she had ever met, and heard an optimistic "See you later!" in reply, before having her view replaced with a sea of ugly purple and green lockers.

"Hurry up, Elsa. I'm starving and I've got stuff I need to do." Elise demanded.

Elsa rolled her eyes and picked up her pace. "Whatever you say, princess." she said mockingly. Of course she couldn't be annoyed at her little sister's words, her mind was on much more important things right now. Much...much more important.

Almost two incredibly shitty months had culminated into today's chance encounter. She had never met a person quite like Anna before and one thing was clear, she needed to make _them _happen. There was something about this girl, she just couldn't let her slip away. So she'd have to do whatever it took to see her again.

Her love, er...likestruck daze followed her out of the school, into the parking lot, and back towards her car. She had successfully muted her sister's nagging voice as they both got inside. As far as Elsa was concerned, Elise could say anything she wanted right now, she was in too much of a blissful state to really care. That is...until she said something that derailed her train of thought hard.

It all started with such an innocent question.

"So...why were you talking to that girl again?"

"Who, Anna?"

"That name sounds really familiar to me." Elise pondered over that name without saying anything else.

"Well..." Elsa continued, "I actually have no idea, really. I bumped into her when I was looking for you, I knocked a bunch of stuff out of her hands and we just started talking." She gulped before continuing...

_You're not seriously considering telling your sister that you're crushing hard on this girl, are you?_

Yes she was, and it was just a matter of wording it correctly so she didn't get any weird looks. Oh who was she kidding, she was gonna get weird looks anyway. Not for the whole liking a girl thing, Elise was perfectly okay with Elsa liking girls, but it was the whole just...liking a person thing. Being the good little sister she was, she _never _liked hearing about Elsa's latest crush, mostly cause Elsa would just gush about them practically 24/7. "And, well-" was all she could get out before being interrupted once more.

"Oh, now I know why that name's so familiar!"

Elsa raised an eyebrow with genuine curiosity, "Oh? And why is that?"

"She's in homeroom with me." Elise stated matter-of-factually.

Elsa's brain abruptly shut down as those words hit her. "Wh-what?" she mumbled out as her face went from pure elation to shock and terror.

"Yeah, I have no doubt that's the same Anna. I don't know anyone else in this school that's rocking that whole redheaded pigtail look. Same age _and _same birthday as me too, we kinda had a tiny conversation about. Surprised that I forgot about that, honestly. Anyway..."

Elise kept on talking but the blood pounding in Elsa's ears drowned her out quickly. Her mind had started up once more and now it was working overtime to process all of this revealing information.

Anna was in the same homeroom class as Elise.

Which meant they were in the same grade.

And they were apparently the same age.

Which mean that Elsa...poor, ill-fated, _18 year old_ Elsa...

...was crushing on a 14 year old.

_Well shit._

* * *

**A/N: Alright well I should probably explain myself. So I'm back to writing stuff again after taking a bit of time to recuperate from The Monster. And as you can probably tell...I'm getting into some shit with this new fic. I'm going to just put a huge disclaimer here so I don't get any flak later on. _Ahem..._THERE WILL BE NO SMUT IN THIS FANFIC. Just want to put that out there, Elsa and Anna will not do the dirty here because I am _not _touching that subject at all. That being said, I really hope you enjoy what I _actually _do for this fic and remember to do all the lovely stuff you lovely people do, like favorite and review and whatnot. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Excitement, excitement, and, well, more excitement.

These were the emotions swirling around Anna's mind, capturing her in this pure and ecstatic moment of bliss that would not go away no matter how hard she tried. And she wasn't trying very hard. Any and all semblance of rational thought was put on indefinite hold and replaced with one word: Elsa.

Her name alone was enough to make Anna practically scream in delight into her pillow, like she was eight years old again and was seeing her favorite boy band in concert for the first time. Except this time Elsa was the boy band, but she wasn't a boy and...not in a band.

"Hmm..." Anna pondered in her bed. "_Is _she in a band? Maybe I should find that out. Ooh, maybe they need a drummer!"

Although she didn't look like it, Anna was indeed an excellent drummer, having played since she first laid eyes on a pair of drumsticks almost eight years ago. It would be too much of a stretch to call her a prodigy, but laying down any kind of beat you threw at her, be it rock, swing, metal, even a bossa nova, was practically second nature for her.

"Oh crap, that's right I still need to practice!" she said as she frantically got out of her bed and back towards her bag. Once there she pulled out a circular rubber pad glued to a piece of wood and a pair of sticks, situating herself back on her bed once she had retrieved them. She felt the most comfortable on a drum set but she unfortunately didn't have her own to practice with as of yet, so she used the next best thing. Or her _only _thing, really.

As she went through the drills given to her by her teacher, her mind drifted away to even more intruding thoughts of Elsa and she put her arms on auto pilot. After five minutes, a consecutive number of failed drills under her belt, and a pair of sticks that lay abandon on the floor, Anna had all but given up.

"Ugh, I can't do it." she sighed in defeat as she lay back on her bed. "Dammit Elsa, you're ruining me."

As soon as she said that she gasped and clasped both her hands over her mouth. "Wait, no! I shouldn't have said that, I'm so sorry Elsa." she said regrettably.

This was an odd sight, even for her. There she was in her room, alone, with her hands over her mouth and her face full of guilt, apologizing to a person that wasn't even there.

"Ugh, I wish you _were _here though. I wish you were with me right now and then we could...we could..." Anna let that thought linger a bit too long and started to blush as she got her mind back on track. "No, stop that brain!"

She tossed and turned in her bed as she relived the events of that afternoon, trying to keep her mind from going back to...what she was thinking about before.

The impact when the platinum blonde collided with her hurt. A lot. But when she got a look at the girl who knocked her down, which wasn't hard to do since she stood in front of her not doing anything for an awkwardly long amount of time, the pain immediately dissipated.

Elsa wasn't doing anything really to help make the situation less awkward so Anna had to unveil her second best talent: aimless rambling. Her one-sided conversation ranged from how the fall was her fault entirely and that Elsa shouldn't blame herself, to the actual physics to the collision, to...something about broccoli. At some point Anna had veered incredibly off topic but by then Elsa had finally found some courage to say something. And the first thing she said was her name.

And if Anna hadn't already been on the floor she could have sworn her knees would have given out at that point. But that wasn't a socially acceptable response to when someone says your name so she did the next best thing and...looked at her as if she had grown a third eye.

Anna sighed, "Oh my god, you are so many kinds of awkward around pretty girls."

She placed a hand on her shoulder and sighed contently this time. When Elsa had touched her on that same spot she swore she could feel herself just melt. It was electrifying, and tantalizing, and...awkward. But mostly the first two.

"Ugh, what am I even _doing_?" Anna repeatedly slapped herself on the face lightly to try and get herself to start thinking clearly. "You don't even _know _her that well. What do you honestly know about Elsa? She's pretty, she seems all wise and mature and stuff, she's pretty, she has a little sister, she's pretty- Elsa, not Elise, although I have to admit she's...kinda cute too- she goes to Arendelle University and-"

Anna slapped her eyes over her hands and groaned, "Dammit, I forgot she's in college. Ugh, that has to make her at least like 18."

She rolled back onto her stomach and mumbled into her pillow, "Who am I kidding? I'm probably too young for her, she'll never go for someone as young as me. Besides, it's not like I'll ever see her again..."

As she moped about on her bed a ridiculous thought popped into her head, "Wait! She doesn't know how old I am yet! I just need to act mature enough that she _never _questions my age and I'll be fine. Hmm, I'm gonna need to bank on Elise not telling her though and..."

She rolled onto her back once more and gasped in excitement, "Elise! That's it! That's how I'll be able to get closer to Elsa! I'll volunteer to tutor her, and then we'll become good friends, and we'll hang out at her place, and I can see Elsa again! It's the perfect plan!"

This hastily thought out plan was enough to get her off her bed and fill her to the brim with elation. Or was she just gassy? It didn't really matter to her at this point, all she cared about was putting her plan into motion. And with this sweeping declaration she picked her sticks up off the floor and got to practicing again, finding it much easier to do so.

For Anna, it felt like life was about get a whole lot better.

* * *

For Elsa, it felt like life was about to get a whole lot worse.

She was pacing frantically around her room trying desperately to steady her emotions running through her head. She was switching rapidly from pure panic, to confusion, to full on paranoia, and back to panic again. Rest assured, she was _not _doing very well.

_Goddammit Elsa, just...goddammit. _

This is all she kept telling herself without taking the time to get her train of thought back on track. She knew she needed to calm herself down but now was not the time, now was the time to pace around her room aimlessly.

But because life just wouldn't let her catch a break she somehow tripped over herself and landed on her bed shamefully. Thankfully for her this was enough to let her finally get her head back on straight.

"Uuuuugh..." the moody blonde groaned into her bedsheets. "Why is this happening to me?!"

What had she done to deserve this fate? For two months she had been nothing but miserable, and _now_? Well she would gladly just go back to being miserable again because this felt a lot worse. Anna felt like her chance to finally turn her life around, to finally get herself out of this rut. But through some cruel twist of fate, her one true chance at happiness once more was taken from her.

_Okay well don't you think you're being a _bit _melodramatic? So Anna's completely off limits, it's not like it's the end of the world._

Elsa turned around and lay a hand over her eyes. As much as she hated to admit it, she was right. As emotional and irrational as she was being right now, the fact that she couldn't have Anna was not in fact the end of the world. But she felt so sure that this strawberry blonde picture of perfection was going to be the one, there was no doubt about it. She hadn't felt this strongly for someone since...since...

_Let's not go down that road right now._

She sighed, "What the hell am I gonna do? Dammit Anna, you're ruining me."

She peered from underneath her arm and looked around her room, unsure what she was really looking for seeing as she was all alone.

All alone...

"I wish you were here with me right now..." the hopeless blonde said, unsure who she was really talking about.

That strawberry blonde hair encompassed her thoughts, bringing with it those gorgeous teal eyes, and those adorable little lips that curved into that perfect smile. It left Elsa in this suspended moment of bliss, taking her away from her problems even for just a second. And a second was all it lasted. Suddenly the hair started to darken in color until it turned into a shade of brown. The teal eyes darkened as well until they too were of the same color and Elsa knew where this was going if she didn't snap out of it soon.

With a loud gasp she lifted herself up from her bed, her breathing so erratic that she was almost panting.

_I told you not to go down that road._

"Shut up." she muttered to herself. The road in question was one that was painful and scarring, it was seemingly harmless at first before suddenly becoming jagged and broken and unsafe. It was one that Elsa knew not to traverse and to avoid under any circumstances.

"What am I going to do with you, Anna?" she said, desperately trying to change the subject. "Maybe I can just avoid you for the rest of my life..."

_Or you can do something much more mature and-_

"_Or _I can just avoid her for the rest of my life." It was a rather unhealthy solution, but it was the only solution. Or at least that's what Elsa had successfully deluded herself into thinking.

This is what was best.

This...is what was best.

Feeling all of a sudden drained she shuffled out of her room and towards another one down the hall. The door was slightly ajar and she heard the familiar noise of pop music blaring through a hand-me-down laptop given as a birthday present two years ago. There was no doubt Elise was in her room right now.

Of course Elsa didn't even bother knocking and of course Elise didn't even mind, there wasn't much that the two really hid from each other, except for one obvious thing that had just become a problem only a couple hours ago.

"Hey princess." Elsa said as she slumped down onto her sister's computer chair.

Elise looked up from her laptop and stared at her big sister with a straight face and a raised eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah that felt weird for me too. Besides you're too much of a ditz to be a princess anyway." Elsa leaned back on the chair, waiting for that comment to sink in.

It didn't take long.

"Hey! I feel insulted." Elise replied.

"You should, cause that was supposed to be an insult." the older sister replied with a smug grin.

"Jerk..." Elise huffed, "Why are you here anyway?"

"Oh come on, is it really that weird of me to just waltz into my little sister's room and hang out with her for a little bit?"

"Not really. But usually whenever you come into my room, you want something."

This was very true and Elsa knew it. "Oh come on, that's not true."

Elise mumbled out a sarcastic "mmhmm" and continued to type on her laptop without saying a word, leaving Elsa to sit awkwardly while some pop artist she only vaguely knew sang about shaking something off.

"Oh come on, I'm here and I'm bored!" Elsa said all too eagerly once the song ended. "Let's go and do something."

Elise flipped the laptop around and presented it to her, "Well you could help me do my homework."

Elsa leaned forward to get a closer look and then pulled back in disgust, "Ick, math. Yeah I can't help you there, I absolutely suck at that."

The younger sister pouted and turned the laptop back towards herself, "Yeah well so do I. So I'm sorry but _I _can't help _you_. Don't you have homework too, by the way?"

"Me? No my semester just started, remember?"

"Ugh, lucky..."

Elsa got up from the computer chair and stretched, "Alright fine I'll get out of your room and leave you to suffer with all those numbers and stuff."

"Gee thanks for being so supporting..." Elise responded passive-aggressively.

There was a point to Elsa being here, aside from just passing the time in order to keep her mind off...other things. She needed to ask a very basic favor from her little sister, but one that would help her immensely.

"Hey, uh..." Elsa started nervously, "Don't be late tomorrow, alright? Or just...don't be late anymore."

"See? I knew you needed something." Elise shot that same smug grin back at Elsa but it barely fazed the older sister who let slip her true, sullen demeanor that she tried hard to keep from showing. "Hey, Elsa are you alright?"

"Yeah, but just...don't be late."

Elsa shut the door before she could get a response.

* * *

**A/N: Yeesh, I really didn't intend to end this chapter on such a depressing note. On a much _brighter _note, though, I want to thank each and every one you for the overwhelming support I've gotten for this story. It really means a lot that so many people have taken the time to read and review this even though...there's only two chapters so far. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this one and I just wanted to give a quick heads up. The updates for this fic will be a bit sporadic, I've got a couple auditions to prepare for over the next three weeks and I need to take them a hell of a lot more seriously now. So either expect a new chapter very soon, or not soon at all. Sorry about that, but priorities and whatnot. Once again, please don't be afraid to review and thank you for reading...again.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

There was something about this day that seemed to make it drag on for much longer than Anna was really used to. Maybe it was because the batteries on the clock she was obsessionally staring at were dying and making the large minute hand tick slower than usual. Or maybe it was because there weren't any morning announcements on this particular day which made homeroom longer than normal.

Or maybe it was because she was torturing herself slowly by mulling over countless scenarios on how to approach the light blonde girl two rows away from her.

Anna chewed on her pencil and lightly tapped on her desk, both acts of habit and nervousness, as she shifted her gaze from the clock she tried to time her taps to, to the girl on the other side of the room.

"Come on Anna, it's no big deal." she mumbled to herself, "Just ask if she needs help, that's all."

Elise had a slightly panicked look on her face as she alternated from gazing intently at her textbook to writing frantically on a piece of paper.

"This is your chance..." Anna said, trying to psyche herself up.

Anna thought herself a fairly bold person, and an assertive one at that. Whatever she worked for, she got. And if she said she would do something, she'd do it. But those involved concerts, daunting and completely voluntary school projects, and a student council election she won back in seventh grade for no reason other than she just decided she wanted to run for student council. They never dealt with something so admittedly heinous. This plan to befriend Elise just to get closer to Elsa was looking to be easier said than done.

The clock above showed that eight minutes had passed, but seeing as it wasn't going at its regular tempo, Anna calculated that ten minutes, maybe more, had passed instead. Those two minutes made all the difference because it meant homeroom was going to end soon, which meant it was now or never.

Or at least until the next day.

"No no, come on it has to be now." she chided herself. After an agonizingly long and anxious count to three, she was able to pull herself up and out of her desk.

Her legs were soldiering on even though her mind was desperately trying to pull her back to her own chair. The closer she got to Elise the more magnified the looks of panic on both girls' faces became, albeit for two completely different reasons.

Despite alarming protests coming from inside her, Anna had somehow made it to Elise's side and, with extreme hesitation, got the strongly focused girl's attention.

"Hey, uh...do you need some help?"

Elise jerked up from her slouched position and stared at the intruder of her frantic train of thought. Her face, while startled and even a slight bit angry at first, softened when she gave herself time to process the new face and its request.

"Oh thank god. Please?" Elise pleaded, "This is due in like half an hour and I completely forgot about it till now. And I suck at math anyway so everything's just terrible right now."

"I'd be glad to help, really." Anna sat down at the conveniently empty desk directly behind her and leaned towards the other girl who she noticed was also chewing on her pencil now, "Alright, so what's the problem?"

Elise took the pencil out of her mouth and waved her hands over her work, "All of it! Like seriously, _what _am I looking at here?"

The baffled blonde probably only saw a discombobulated jumble of numbers and letters, but for Anna it was different. She saw patterns, deviations, a certain puzzle that could easily be formed and solved in a matter of minutes.

"Oh, _this _one..." she confidently pointed a finger at the page for Elise to see, "yeah I'm pretty sure that it's 'x=4'."

Elise looked at Anna, and back at the textbook, and back at Anna again with a steady look of disbelief. She flipped towards the back of the book and scanned for the right answer, gasping when she got to the number that Anna had pointed out.

She gasped, "No freaking way, how did you _do _that?!"

On the outside, Anna acted nonchalant and shrugged, "I'm just...good with numbers I guess." But on the inside she was beaming with pride, there were very few satisfactions in the world greater than being applauded for your work.

"X isn't a number." Elise pointed out.

"Well yeah but-"

"You know what? Doesn't matter. If you teach me how to do this I will owe you big time. Sound good?"

"Um...yeah, that sounds great." Anna replied energetically. Her plan was finally starting to take shape, her dream would soon become a reality if she played her cards right and stayed determined and focused.

For the next twenty minutes, Anna had split her attention between helping Elise finish and trying to bring up the idea of tutoring and meeting Elsa again. She had knowingly given her direct answers on more than a few questions. If Elise only knew the answer and not the way Anna had gotten there, she wouldn't have the process ingrained into her head and in turn she'd have to come back to Anna and relearn the steps.

Whether Elise was either too naïve or greatly relieved to get some help that she didn't care, or if Anna was just a master of manipulation, remained to be seen. The conversation continued, with the studious redhead either blatantly giving answers for the harder to explain problems or rushing through her explanations for the easier ones. The slightly agitated blonde gave affirmative "Ooh"s and "Ah"s after every sentence uttered.

A rising tide of anxiety grew fiercer inside of Anna as they got closer and closer to the end of Elise's assignment. Her thoughts sporadically switched from bringing up tutoring to bringing up Elsa to just keeping her mouth shut. As ridiculously regressive as the last option was, it was also becoming the much more preferred course of action. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears as each slow second passed. It was getting close to that point of no return if she decided to really ask Elise, well, anything. Soon she'd have to speak up or shut up and-

"Hey, are you alright?"

Anna blinked in surprise as her inner monologue was interrupted. "Eh, uh...what?"

"You kinda zoned out a bit there and then just stopped talking." Elise explained.

"Oh...I was just thinking..."

"About...?" There was genuine intrigue in her voice as she leaned in, or tried to lean in as best as she could from her position, in anticipation of Anna's words.

"Well it's, uh...erm...not-well I mean it is but...okay it's sorta not important at the same time that it is and..." Anna was getting off to a great start. "It's just that...I mean, alright just hear me out here."

Elise looked at her, completely lost and confused. "Uh...I feel like I've been doing a good job of that so far..."

"Well you have and..." If there was any hope of backing out of this conversation, it was all but gone now. Not that she couldn't back out of it, there was still time and she could just shrug off the question and change the subject. But when was she ever going to find another opportunity where she had Elise's full and undivided attention? It was now or never, or at least now or at some unknown time in the distant future. She just needed to word it eloquently and politely.

"Can I tutor you?!"

Or...she could just blurt out her question in the most blunt way possible.

"I...I'm sorry what was that?" Elise looked at the flustered girl questioningly.

"I mean I don't think that you _need _it or anything, I just assumed that maybe if you don't ever, like, _get _a problem or something I could help you out. For free, obviously. I don't want your money- wait no, that probably makes me sound all prissy. What I mean is..." Anna sighed and composed herself, no sense in getting her point across if she was too rattled to even speak. "Look, I can help you with your homework...any time you want. I don't want to assume anything, but it seems to me like you'd benefit a lot from my help and I'm just trying to, you know, extend a helping hand or whatever. If you don't want to, it's fine. But the offer's always gonna be on the table."

Anna legitimately surprised herself at how she didn't stumble over any of her words, the second time around anyway, and had to keep from getting excited over such a simple feat as she waited patiently for Elise's response.

That sense of intrigue on the blonde's face still remained even after Anna had laid out her proposition. There wasn't any trace of apprehension or reservation on her face and it looked like she didn't take any offense at all to the request. It was as if she was actually thinking hard on the offer, which was exactly what Anna wanted.

"You know what? Why not?" Elise finally declared. "I've always been absolutely terrible at math and it wouldn't hurt to have someone help me out. Elsa can never help me out with math either cause she sucks at it as much as I do. I guess it's genetic."

The mention of the older, more illusive, blonde sparked Anna's interest, hoping desperately that more would be said about her. What she would give to just hear the tiniest bit more information about the girl that invaded her every thought even though they had spent a mere ten minutes together.

Against all better judgment, instead of letting the conversation organically transition towards one that hopefully shed more light on Elsa, Anna decided to bluntly pry for more information. "Oh, uh...how is Elsa by the way?"

Immediate regret washed over Anna as soon as the question was asked. It was all so sudden, the mere utterance of the name "Elsa" was almost enough to make her swoon on the spot. With clouded judgment, and a paradoxically clear apathy for any sort of consequence, she had said eight words that could cause her plan to unravel.

Elise tilted her head and squinted, as if she was wondering where this question was coming from. "She's, uh...fine I guess?"

"Erm, well you see I ask cause I had, you know, bumped into her and just wanted to know if she had...suffered...any injuries..." Anna giggled nervously, mentally berating herself for coming up with the absolute lamest excuse ever.

"No she looked fine, I mean she was like strangely quiet yesterday but other than that..."

Anna bit her lip to keep herself from prodding any further and make her look like even more of an idiot. Why was Elsa being strangely quiet? Did it have something to do with their conversation? Was Elsa going through the same thing she was? Did...did Elsa feel the same way?

Her hopeless and romantic train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a loud, aggravating bell sounding off signaling that class was over.

"Oh crap, I should probably pack up!" Elise said in a panic. "Hey, uh...thanks again for the offer. I _really _need help with this stuff."

"It's no problem at all, I'm glad to help." Anna replied. She got up from the desk and went back to her bag, placing everything inside blissfully.

"Hey actually, are you free after school?" the blonde inquired hopefully, "We've got a test coming up pretty soon and I absolutely can _not _fail it."

The redhead nodded slightly surprised, not expecting her services to be needed this early. "Yeah of course I am, just let me know when and where."

"Awesome! Here, you know what? I'll just give you my number so it'll make things easier."

As Anna watched the grateful girl type her number into her phone, she couldn't help but curl her lips in a large and rather goofy smile. The fluidity and the sheer amount of things that had gone right in her plan was perplexing. Everything had seemed to go off without a hitch.

But it wasn't just that.

If what Elise said was true, then maybe, just maybe, Anna wasn't the only one greatly afflicted by the fateful encounter yesterday. Maybe it was eating at Elsa in the very same way. Maybe...maybe she _did _feel the same way.

"Aaand done! Here ya go." Elise handed back the phone eagerly. "Oh crap I should probably tell Elsa I'll be late...again. Ah, I'm sure she won't mind."

"Yeah, probably not..." Anna replied lazily, still lost in her thoughts.

"So I'll see you after school then?" Elise asked one more time, turning back towards Anna as she made her way out the door.

"Definitely, just let me know where!" Anna shouted out to the blonde who had already made her way out the door.

If Anna was an evil villain in a movie, this would be the part where she would laugh maniacally as her unlucky victim fell right into her trap. But Elise wasn't an unlucky victim, nor was Anna an evil villain. Or at least not evil in that kind of sense. Of course she knew what she was doing was wrong, using Elise's good nature and great need for help to her advantage in her grand scheme of seeing Elsa again, but she honestly...didn't care. Because as long as she kept the facade up of her being the helpful tutor she was going to be, then no one would get hurt. Because all sense of anxiousness about this plan, and any consequence that could come about from it, was practically gone.

Because whatever Anna worked for, she got.

Her smile curved into one of mischievousness as she tucked her phone back into her pocket and walked joyfully to her next class.

* * *

**A/N: Okay so maybe Anna's a _bit _of a villain. But it's for a good cause, I mean who _wouldn't _want to spend more time with Elsa?**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Dammit Elise, I asked you to do _one thing_!"

"_I know! But, like...I've got this test coming up in my math class, and I _really_ needed help and I mean I know she's gotta be like really good at this stuff what with her helping me with my homework today and all-"_

"You mean the homework I saw you doing yesterday?"

"_Ye-uh...yes?"_

Elsa sighed as she slowed down her quick pace towards her car. The lot was abundant with an assortment of vehicles belonging to other students. Some were actually inside their cars grimacing at the idea of a "smoke-free campus" while they sucked on their cigarette, and others were conversing about the same topics that Elsa had heard come out of the mouths of high schoolers the day before.

"Elsa? You...still there?"

"Yeah-yeah I'm still here." she finally responded to the girl at the other end of the call. "Look just...how long do you think you're gonna take?"

"_Umm...an hour? Maybe?" _

"Maybe." Elsa said, less as a question and more as a statement to let her sister know the situation she was putting her in.

"_Okay I _promise _that it won't go for longer than an hour. That better?"_

"That's not the-" The longer the conversation dragged on, the more Elsa realized that there really was no point in fighting this. The way her schedule was miraculously structured, she had more than enough free time to wait on Elise for an hour or so. Plus it was for a technically good cause, math was never either of their strongest suits and at least one of them was finally getting help on that front.

_It's a damn miracle you made it this far with your inability to even do basic algebra._

With zero amount of plausible fight left in her, Elsa groaned reluctantly. "Fiiiiine, but you owe me for this."

"_Wait, what? But it's gonna take more than an hour for me to suddenly be good at math."_

"Exactly." Elsa stated as she leaned on the side of her car.

"_So...does that mean I'll owe you every time I have to stay after school for tutoring?"_

The older sister's lips curled up in a smirk she was sure the younger one could make out even through the phone, "Exactly."

"_Ugh, dammit that makes two people I owe now. Okay you've got a deal. What do I owe you?"_

"I don't know yet." Elsa shrugged, "I'll think of something."

"_Fine. I'll see you in an hour then, you jerk." _

There was silence on the other end after a few moments, signifying that the call was over. And while the exasperated blonde put her phone back in the pocket, she wondered what she could really do to occupy herself for the foreseeable future. Her train of thought didn't go very far before it was interrupted by a manlier voice calling out to her.

"Elsa!"

She turned around and saw a smiling face with messy blond hair jogging towards her.

_Ugh, dammit not this guy._

Her miffed psyche hid behind a courteous smile as she waved back to the man, "Hey Kristoff."

"Hey yourself, it's been awhile, how've you been?" Kristoff asked.

"I wouldn't exactly call a couple weeks 'awhile'." she pointed out.

"Seeing you at a grocery store over the break and waving hi to you doesn't count as, like, _actually _seeing you. Not in my book, at least."

"Yeah well your book sucks. It's still got pictures in it."

Kristoff's lips pursed and he clutched a hand to his chest, "Ooh, ouch. Was that supposed to be a jab at me being such a 'big, dumb jock'?"

If his stocky build wasn't enough to tip the casual observer off that this man played some sort of sport, then the purple and green football jersey that he wore almost religiously surely would. He was the star running back of Arendelle University, and in every sense of the term he was indeed the prototypical jock. Why he still wore the jersey even if football season had been over for months was anyone's guess.

"Yes it was, good for you for figuring that out _all by yourself._" Elsa said condescendingly.

The man gave her a playful shove and chuckled, "Oh shut up and answer the question."

These two weren't best friends, not by a long shot. There honestly wasn't anyone here at this school she would really call her "best friend". Not anymore, anyway. But she and Kristoff were close enough acquaintances that they were able to poke fun at each other without the other one getting offended. They had a class together last semester and, after Kristoff's miserably unsuccessful attempt at asking Elsa out (the subsequent conversation about her sexual orientation was incredibly entertaining), they had become good...acquaintances over the next few months.

She wasn't really sure _how _to answer the question. A simple "Fine" would be a lie that would possibly give a premature ending to this conversation. And with the amount of time she had on hand, she was hoping that Kristoff would eat up at least a bit of it so she wouldn't go back to being bored. And alone.

Before the lull in the conversation could get even longer and more awkward, she finally settled with, "It's, uh...it's been...yeah."

_Excellent word choice there, Shakespeare._

"Yeah it's been pretty 'yeah' for me too." Kristoff grinned, either oblivious to the anguish in those words or just choosing to ignore it.

Elsa pouted, "Hey you know I've always been terrible with words."

"And yet you're getting a degree in English." he pointed out ironically. "Anyway, I didn't come here just to ask what's up, I _actually _came here to ask if you were coming to my party on Friday."

"It's...like...the first week of class, why the hell are you throwing a party so early?"

"Because...it's the first week of class?" he questioned as if Elsa just wasn't getting it, which she wasn't. "It's a nice way to finally see everyone again after a long break, it'll be fun."

"I'm not sure I'd call freshmen getting magically drunk and out of control after one fifth of shitty vodka 'fun'."

Kristoff laughed, "Ah the memories. Now, are you coming?"

The cynical poise that she carried herself with was withering away the more she pondered that question. This inner turmoil was always present whenever she was asked to actually be a social and, well, pleasant. Fun to actually be around. She frankly found the ordeal rather funny, cause no matter how long it lasted she always knew what the final answer was going to be. A swift and insincere "no".

"I don't know."

Except for this time, surprisingly.

The three words that she had just uttered were a lot less confident than the ones that preceded them. Her demeanor slipped back into this other facet she had been greatly accustomed to over the past few weeks. One much more reserved, closed off. And as a result, it was a bit more _un_pleasant to be around. She clutched onto her arm with a steadying hand and looked down at the ground.

"Oh come on, Elsa!" Kristoff spoke exasperatedly, "What gives? A couple months ago you would have said yes in a heartbeat. What the hell ha-"

He stopped himself before he could go any further, but the damage was done. He had stepped into dangerous territory, one that would cause more pain for Elsa than it would for him. She looked up at him with eyes that tried their best to hide so much of that agonizing pain. A sickeningly long month's worth of pain. Pain she had desperately hoped would have subsided even a little over the break.

Kristoff sighed and closed his eyes, "Shit, I'm sorry I shouldn't have...shouldn't have went there. That was a really shitty thing of me to say."

Elsa didn't respond, trying to soften the ache hitching in the back of her throat and doing her best to prolong the stinging tears welling up.

"Listen, uh..." Kristoff continued, guiltily rubbing his hand through his hair, "You don't...have to come, it's alright. I shouldn't have sprung that on you. I'll just see you when I see you, it's fine."

As he started to walk away, Elsa found it in herself to grumble out a response before he got too far.

"I'll think about it."

The remorseful man turned around and flashed a comforting smile, "That's all I'm asking for. You know how to get there right?"

Elsa gave a small nod, trying her best to maintain eye contact. Hoping that that act alone would keep her from breaking down.

"Great, hopefully I'll see you then." Kristoff walked backwards a bit before turning around, knowing better than to expect or force out another response.

As soon as he was out of her line of sight, Elsa retreated into the comforting yet suffocating confines of her car, leaning her head against the steering wheel as she tried her best to calm the torrent of agony and misery that was smothering her.

_Fucking hell, pull yourself together. How are you _still _not over this?_

She knew. She knew how and why this affected her so much still to this day. But the act of concealing it, pushing it down and not acknowledging the reason behind her pain, had worked in the past so there was no reason it shouldn't work now.

_You're making a scene, you know that? Pull yourself together. Or at least get yourself the hell out of here. _

Without thinking, Elsa pushed the key into the ignition, causing the vehicle to roar with life and snap her out of her panicked trance. The tires screeched across the pavement as she drove towards the exit.

She didn't have a set destination, or a plan, or any place to go, really. None of that really mattered right now for her, all that mattered was that she got the hell out of there. Away from the putrid brown and dark gray buildings, away from the sickeningly cheerful groups of people that drifted out of view the farther she got, away from the purple and green banners that mocked her with their composed stature and unshaken constitution...away from everything.

* * *

"No freaking way, you're a drummer?!"

Anna looked over to see Elise peering into her open bag, her drumsticks poking out from where they nestled comfortably inside.

"Yeah I am." she nodded, "I've been playing like my entire life."

"Really now?" Elise raised an eyebrow playfully, "So as soon as you were born, you just saw a pair of drumsticks and broke out into a killer solo then?"

"Okay so maybe not my _entire _life. Probably since I was like 5 or 6, but that still kinda counts."

The sun was shining down on the two girls, the trees rustled slightly as a faint breeze created a calming timbre. They were sitting on an old table, the paint chipping off at the corners and elsewhere around the frame, with papers being held down by phones and other books to keep them from floating away. The study session had ended a few minutes ago and as they packed their things, their conversation shifted from droning math talk to more personal topics.

"That's so cool. So do you like play in the school band and stuff?" Elise asked.

"I do, it's a lot of fun. I mean the music we play is kinda easy in comparison but it's totally worth it. I just love playing the drums. Just being behind the set, getting lost in the beat, being that glue that holds everyone together..." Anna sighed contently, "It's amazing."

She looked over at the blonde who stared at her curiously and blushed. It seemed she had gone off on a small tangent once more.

"I'm sorry. I'm rambling again, aren't I?" the redhead placed her face in her palms, covering her flustered expression.

Elise giggled, "No it's fine, honestly. God I don't think I've ever heard anyone talk that passionately about, well, anything. You're only a freshman and you've found something you absolutely love doing. _That's _amazing."

Anna moved aside a couple of her fingers, peering at the fascinated girl through her hands. "You really think so?" she mumbled out.

"Of course I do!" Elise said energetically. "Say, when's the next concert anyway?"

Once again, genuine curiosity could be heard in her words. It was surprising to see Elise take such interest in what Anna did. If they were going to use labels on each other, Elise would be known as one of the "popular kids". Tons of acquaintances, liked by nearly everyone. Although some were rude, vile, incredibly hard to be around, Elise was not one of those. She made a wonderful impression on people, had her own group of friends that everyone could see hanging out in the halls and just having a wonderful time. Rarely did one of these popular kids ever step out of their zone to spend time with someone that was basically off their radar. Yet here Elise was, doing that exact thing.

It wasn't as if Anna was unpopular or anything. She had her own group of friends that was admittedly smaller in comparison. But anyone outside of the band probably wouldn't recognize her. Or make an effort to converse with her.

Yet here Elise was.

"There's a school band concert coming up in a few weeks." Anna finally replied, removing herself from her hands and running one of them through her hair, "But...I don't really do much there. And then there's a jazz concert a couple weeks after that I can't wait for cause I'll be _really _involved in that one."

Elise clapped her hands together, "That's perfect! I'll probably have time then so I'll bring a few of my other friends with me. And if they can't come, I'll just drag Elsa with me. No big deal..."

As she continued her gleeful planning, Anna fixated on that name once more. Elsa. She just loved how it sounded, and every time Elise mentioned her sister, Anna's heart fluttered.

Wait...

"I'm sorry did you say _other _friends?" Anna interrupted.

"Hmm? Uh...yeah, I did." the confused blonde tilted her head and squinted. "You don't think I have other friends? I'm kinda offended by that."

"No it's not that, it's just..." Anna pondered.

Did Elise just say they were friends?

The sound of a door opening interrupted her thoughts. They both looked towards the entrance of the school with its double doors swinging and focused their attention on the taller, older blonde that emerged from behind those doors.

Anna's look of shock matched the intensity of Elsa's as their eyes met.

* * *

**A/N: Cue that whole "Dun dun duuuuuuuuun" track. **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Elsa narrowly dodged an inebriated man as he stumbled onto a couch with his other equally as drunk companions. She rolled her eyes and scanned the crowded area for a place she could sit or breathe or _something_, but it was no use.

_Why are you even here? You hate college parties._

"Whoaaaa, excuuuse me." someone slurred out as they bumped into Elsa, the droplets from their plastic red cup staining her shirt. There was no point in responding, she could sense that all she would get was some drunk nonchalant answer.

Her resolve to be here was slipping with each passing second. Even a month ago, when she would go to one of these things almost all the time, she would hate almost every single aspect of it.

Almost.

Back then there was a reason to begrudgingly go, but now...well there was still a reason, but it was entirely different.

A distraction, this was what all this was. A horrible, and poorly chosen distraction to get her mind off an unfortunate and embarrassing incident from earlier that week.

* * *

Of all the ways Elsa could have reacted, standing silently like an idiot probably wasn't the best option. When she had burst through the double doors, the nagging feeling that her sister would be behind them was proven to be true. This was what she expected and hoped. What she _didn't _expect was to see the one person that she was trying to so adamantly avoid.

Not even a week had passed, or even a couple days for that matter, since this startling beauty had graced her presence.

_Startling beauty? You are such a pedo._

As hard as she tried, every little bit of reprimanding for her strange, intrusive thoughts was being forcefully cast aside by said intrusive thoughts.

Each thought that chided her for already failing such a simple task of completely avoiding Anna was accompanied with a dreamy mental gaze at how beautiful she looked under the glow of the afternoon sun. The slew of berating words she was telling herself were overshadowed by the admiration of the younger girl's large teal eyes that looked happy, actually and sickeningly happy, to see her. It was a look she hadn't seen in a long time, and one that she didn't feel like she deserved right now.

"Oh! Hey, Elsa. Has it been an hour already?" Elise asked as she continued to pack up.

"What? Uh, oh...yeah it has." Elsa looked around and looked at her sister questioningly, "Wait, so where's your tutor?"

"Uh..." the younger blonde gestured towards Anna, "You're looking at her."

_Oh no fucking way. This is just...way too hilarious, I'm sorry._

The tutor that Elise had implored help from was none other than the one person Elsa had regrettably never wanted to see again. This had to be some sort of sick joke.

"Elsa!"

She looked back up at the two who stood in front of the rusted bench, Elise's hands on her hips, looking at Elsa in annoyance, "Look I know you two already met, but don't just stand there without saying hi! That's so rude..."

This was torture. Blatantly refusing to say hi would just be downright awful, standing silently once more would be idiotic, and the mere utterance of anything else would probably end with Elsa blabbing on about how she missed Anna so badly even though she couldn't, and shouldn't see her again, and how she's invaded nearly all her thoughts and dreams, and how...

And how stupid this all must have sounded.

Wanting desperately to not delve deeper into her own thoughts, Elsa waved at the girl and let out a meek, "Hey."

"Hey!" Anna replied with enough eagerness for the both of them. "It's, uh...it's nice to see you again."

_Oh dear god, what the hell am I supposed to say now?_

Why did Anna, this shining bundle of adorableness, have to go and say something as fittingly adorable as that, with a tone that made every word sound so earnest and innocent, so cute, so...so..._Anna_. There was literally no other word to describe it other than the name that personified every inkling of precious naivete that made itself shown through this girl's demeanor, her attitude, her overall self.

And it was with these Anna-like words that Elsa found herself stumped. A response should never have been this hard to form. On the one hand, she knew that giving Anna any kind of false hope about her true sickening feelings would be the undoing of the both of them, avoidance was still the main goal though and she couldn't continue avoiding this poor girl knowing that she had given her any kind of hope for them. On the other hand the way those eyes, so Anna-like in nature, stared at her made denying this girl a positive answer become a much harder task. If there was any getting out of this situation without any hurt feelings on both sides, then a completely neutral answer seemed to be best. A simple "Thanks." or even a "You too.", a response only slightly bordering on some sort of underlying hopeful message, would suffice. No false hope though, this was the key.

"Yeah I'm really glad to see you again too."

_What. Did. You. Just. Do?!_

Despite the plan of action she had set for herself, it seemed that Elsa's intrusive thoughts had once again gotten the best of her, letting out the words she _wanted _to say, not the ones she should have. She lowered her gaze towards the ground, but not before getting a quick glimpse at Anna's reaction. Which seemed to be equal parts surprised and, unfortunately, hopeful.

_I hate you so much. _

Before she could say anything more, Elise had thankfully taken back the reins in the conversation.

"That's better!" she clapped her hands together and turned to Anna gratefully, "Thank you so much again for today, you were a real big help."

Anna nodded her head cheerfully, "Anytime! I'm glad to help."

"Well I just might take you up on that, cause I can already tell I'm going to need _a lot _of help." Elise giggled.

Elsa bowed her head and gritted her teeth, that was _not _something she wanted to hear right now. The mixture of regret, anger, and confusion inside of her formed this sensation that drowned out anything and everything, leaving in its place a white noise she used to attempt to recollect her thoughts.

In the overwhelming haze, she felt a tug on her arm and saw her sister impatiently lead her back to the door. "Come on now Elsa, let's go. I know how impatient you can get."

Those words were a massive relief, the sooner they were out of there, the sooner Elsa could clear her head and shake off the awkwardness of this entire ordeal. Unfortunately, in yet another momentary lapse of judgment she made the mistake of looking back at Anna. Their eyes met for a split second before the younger girl looked away, blushing profusely.

* * *

Through some damn miracle, they didn't run into each other for the next three days. She had replayed that memory countless times in her head, going over just how screwed she really was. This was why, no matter how regretful this whole event may be later, she was at Kristoff's house, finally finding a place to rest and recollect.

Atop the grand staircase of this unbelievably large domain was a large second floor that was getting messier and just downright more repulsing by the second. Beer was being spilled everywhere, extreme displays of affection that bordered on something that should have been done behind closed doors were being performed right in front of her. But on the bright side she was able to sit on a ratty, old couch without anyone giving her weird looks or trying to strike up any godawful small talk.

Whatever the hell it was she had gotten herself into, there was no doubt that it wouldn't just go away by completely ignoring it. That blush, that wasn't nothing. That was absolutely something, it had to be. It was obvious now even to Elsa that Anna felt the same feelings that the disconcerted blonde was trying so hard to repress. This was such a regretful situation, through just two encounters it had escalated into something that needed to be fixed...somehow. But how?

The couch shifted as another body ungracefully sat down. Elsa turned around, ready to pester another drunk off in order to be alone with her thoughts until she registered the familiar face.

"Kristoff, uh...hey!" she exclaimed.

"So you decided to show up, huh?" Kristoff gave the anxious blonde a comforting grin. His eyes betrayed his reassuring features though as they gave away his increasing inebriation, the nearly full cup in his hand a much more accurate indicator. "And by the _looks_ of it, you...don't seem to be having a lot of fun."

"And it seems to me..." Elsa looked down at the cup and back at him, "that you _are _having a lot of fun."

"Nawww, this is only my 4th...5th..." he chugged down the cup he was holding until it was completely empty, "6th..."

"Look what do you need, Kristoff? I'm...kinda busy here."

"Busy doing...what?" the increasingly intoxicated man looked Elsa over and raised an eyebrow.

"Just..." Elsa sighed, "I need to be alone right now, okay?"

"Well a party is a _very _shitty place to be alone. You know what I think?"

"No but I think you'll probably tell me anyway."

Kristoff got up off the couch and stood over her with a determined look on his face. One that's effects were dulled from the alcohol. "I think something happened, and you need a distraction, something to get yourself _awaaaay _from your thoughts. I'm right, aren't I?"

Elsa ducked her head out and let out another sigh. He was right of course, if she _really _wanted to think about this then there was no way she would even be here right now. The truth was that being stuck in her room was killing her due to the silence that made her mind wander, plus whenever she would see her sister all she could think about was Anna. A distraction was good, it probably wasn't a healthy approach to such a protruding problem but it would get the job done. For now.

She looked back up at him with a pout, "Yeah...yeah you're right."

"Aweeeeesooooome." Kristoff slurred out, "I love being right. Now come on, there are some people I want you to meet, they'll be a good distraction to you."

"Oh no no I don't think that's such a good idea." Elsa protested as she was lead by the hand back down the stairs.

"Oh come ooooon, Elsa. It's not like I'm setting you up with anyone tonight. Hell I didn't even know if you were coming or not."

"But..." Why was she trying to fight this again? "Ugh, fine."

With Kristoff's guidance, they had a much easier time navigating through all the guests and soon found themselves in this living room type area. It was surprisingly not as occupied, with maybe eight or nine people lounging around, just talking, drinking, enjoying themselves. Everything Elsa _wasn't _doing.

"Ah here, we are. Guys! I wanna introduce you to someone." Kristoff shouted out.

He had led the both of them to one side of the room where 4 other people sat around a table, most of them with drinks in hand, who looked over at Kristoff's exclamation. Two of the strangers eagerly welcomed them with comforting grins and made space for them to join.

"About damn time you came back." A man with dark brown hair said as they both sat down. "And who's this?"

Kristoff gestured a hand towards Elsa who sat anxiously, "Guys, this is Elsa. A good friend of mine. And before you get any ideas, I already asked her out and it failed. Miserably."

"Just like every time you've ever asked someone out ever?" the dark haired man pointed out.

"Oh shut up Flynn, or Eugene, or whatever the hell you want us to call you." Kristoff replied.

"Eugene to Punzie's parents, and Flynn to anyone else who isn't such a stiff." Eugene/Flynn explained. For now, Elsa had no idea which name to stick with.

A woman, the only other woman at the table beside Elsa, spoke up. "Punzie? Did you come up with that? Cause it sounds ridiculous."

"Oh, and Rapunzel sounds less ridiculous than that? And who are you to talk, _Mulan_?"

The woman, apparently named Mulan, straightened up and looked at Flynn/Eugene smugly, "Hey I kept my birth name when my family moved her instead of using some fake English name, I think that has some merit."

"Yeah I bet you Asians are all about that merit, aren't you?" Kristoff mumbled behind the full cup he had somehow acquired.

On the bright side, this conversation was having the desired effect of distracting Elsa from her problems as she looked around amused at this spectacle. But it was also showcasing one of her biggest weaknesses: making conversation. One-on-one talks were more of her forte, but being put in such a big group and trying to blend in and socialize? That was a big red flag for her. It was a nasty side effect of social anxiety that just barely went away. And the longer she didn't talk, the worse this feeling got. Soon she would be over-analyzing the entire situation, wondering what people thought about the weird girl that Kristoff introduced who hadn't said a single damn word. She was silent cause she was incredibly self-conscious, and incredibly self-conscious due to her inability to make coherent words or sentences. It was a cruel and vicious cycle.

"Wow we got _really _off topic back there, what was I saying?" Kristoff contemplated, "Oh! Right! Guys, Elsa. Say hi and introduce yourself."

"I'll start! Hi, you can call me Flynn it's alright. I can tell you're not a narc. Unlike the other muscle heads in this table, and Mulan, I am not a big football star. No I'm more of what you would call a 'free runner'."

Flynn curled his fingers in the air to mime his quotations. His dark brown hair was slicked back, and he wore a cocky grin on his face that looked so fitting to his entire demeanor it was as if it had been painted on him.

"Is that what you call that thing you do when you're climbing on the roofs like some sort of monkey?" Mulan asked smugly. "Anyway hey Elsa, you already know my name too I'm guessing."

Elsa nodded politely. The woman sitting across her had long, black hair that was straightened and went down to her shoulders. She carried herself with poise and stature that was in stark contrast to nearly everyone else at the party. While Elsa felt she exhibited the same kind of posture, on Mulan it was different. Mulan had a sense of confidence about her, something that was completely lost on Elsa. With such similar personalities apparent through physical appearance, why this woman at this kind of party anyway?

There were still two people who were unaccounted for, and while the first two people she was introduced to were rather welcoming and nice, these two seemed hostile and unapproachable. One had dark, well-kept hair that also reached his shoulders, except while Mulan wore it straight, he wore it in a ponytail. He had incredibly chiseled features, with his unbelievably square chin being the one that stood out the most. The most defining feature on the other man was undoubtedly his ridiculously large mane that he called hair. It was a light brown shade that cascaded over his shoulders and across his back, his "pretty boy" profile complemented it rather well. They both had these piercing glares that peeked over the cups they were downing at an alarming pace. Fortunately, these glares weren't aimed at Elsa and more so at each other.

Flynn nudged the pony-tailed man with his shoulder, "Hey. You guys. Introduce yourselves."

"Gaston." the man mumbled out.

"Adam." the other man spoke in response.

Both said nothing as they continued to stare each other down. The tension in the air was nearly palpable and was only broken up when Flynn spoke once more.

"Oookay then. So, uh...Elsa, what brings you here?"

"Oh, I uh..." She _really _hated being put on the spot like this. "I just, uh...well Kristoff invited me so, you know, I thought I might as well get out of my house and stop being a bum."

Elsa giggled anxiously while cursing herself on the inside.

_God, you should never be allowed to speak ever._

"Well..." Flynn gestured towards her, "You don't look like much of a bum to me."

"Oh like you'd be able to tell, Flynn." Mulan added smugly. "No offense Elsa, you actually _do_ look very pretty."

Elsa looked down at the typical flannel shirt and jeans she wore today, and most days for that matter, and looked back puzzled. "I do?" She hadn't exactly changed up her clothing style in a long while and so this look was something of a typical attire. She didn't exactly _feel _very pretty, just...normal really.

"Yes, you do." Mulan assured and slapped Flynn on the arm as he was taking another drink, "You brought it up in the first place, tell her she's pretty too."

He swallowed and looked around suspiciously before whispering, "I caaaan't. She might be watching."

"You _really _think your girlfriend is gonna be here at a college party?" Mulan inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"_She might have spiiiiiiiies..._" Flynn hissed, his ability to think logically slipping with every drink.

"And how is dating a high schooler, Flynn?" Kristoff finally spoke up once more, "Is it fun?"

"Oh it's _lots _of fun. I mean we only get to see each other on the weekends and stuff but when we _do _get to see each other? Holy shit man-"

"Wait, you're dating a high schooler?" Elsa blurted out without thinking.

"Hmm? Oh, uh..." Flynn continued, not letting the interruption phase him. "Yeah I am."

"Well...doesn't it feel weird? The age difference and all that?" Elsa didn't know what she was expecting out of Flynn when she asked. Reassurance that her feelings were completely fine? Comfort in knowing that it was okay to be crushing on someone four years younger than you when you really shouldn't be? Tips in order to pick up that certain someone? Even though she hadn't drank a single drop of alcohol, it seemed like her own ability to think logically was fading as well.

"Uh...not really. I mean she's a senior so it's not that weird." Flynn scratched his head.

"Oh..." Well this was gravely embarrassing. Of course it was still fairly normal for a college freshman to be dating a high school senior, age gap wouldn't be a problem, just the distance. Of _course_ it was too much to ask for a sign that what she felt wasn't wrong in any way.

Flynn leaned in closer and stared at Elsa with a knowing look on his face, "Why do you ask? You got the hots for some senior over at Arendelle High?"

"What?! Uh...no, no I was just curious!" Dammit she could feel her blushing. With her pale complexion, there would be no hiding it from anyone at the table.

"Aha! I knew it!" Flynn exclaimed a bit too loudly.

"Aww, that's so cute. What's his name?" Mulan propped her head up on an elbow and stared curiously.

On the spot for the second time that night and she couldn't fumble her way through another answer this time. Why the hell did she even ask in the first place? How could she had been so stupid? Her mouth was agape as she froze with fear. A fake name would require an even more fake back story, and with her terribly lying skills that just didn't seem like a good option. Luckily, there was one person at the table who could easily pick up on her distress.

"Guys come on now, lay off on Elsa alright? She's...well knowing her she's not really looking for someone right now." Kristoff placed a reliant hand on her shoulder as he talked the two down.

"Oooooh, I get it. Bad breakup?" Flynn asked gracelessly.

"Flynn..." Kristoff warned, scowling at the other man.

"No no, it's okay Kristoff." Elsa smiled back at him and looked back at Flynn and Mulan who stared curiously. This was going to be tough, it had been awhile since she last verbally admitted the reality she was living in. "You're right, it _was _a bad breakup. About a month ago actually. It was rough, hell I haven't been able to even _look _at another girl in that kinda way, let alone develop feelings for one."

_Oh you are lying through your damn teeth and you know it._

"Wait...girl?" Flynn interrupted.

"Uh...yeah, I know what I said."

"So does that mean-"

"Yup." Elsa was cautious, unsure of where he was going with that comment.

"Oh...hmm..." he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin, "I don't know how I didn't notice."

"The, uh...the stereotypical flannel shirt didn't tip you off?" Elsa playfully raised an eyebrow.

"Well I mean it _kinda _did but...I didn't want to assume-"

"Pah! Women!" Gaston finally spoke up as he scoffed. Like the mere notion of the word was some sort of swear. "They're all the same. They'll tell you to your face they're yours forever, and when you turn away...well..._that's _when you find out how long they think forever really is."

"Lay off it Gaston." Adam growled. "_Or else._"

"Or else _what,_ you big oaf?!" Gaston shot up from his chair and shouted down at the man he had been giving a cold stare to this entire time.

Adam slowly got up out of his own chair and stared at Gaston. His face was cold and calculating as the silence that eerily crept across not only the table but throughout the entire room. The living room area waited anxiously, the tension was astronomical now, reaching a point of no return. All that was needed was a spark to light this metaphorical powder keg.

That spark came when Adam finally spoke, through gritted teeth he answered the challenge with seething and nearly silent anger. "_Or else I'll take more than your ex-girlfriend._"

The first punch was thrown as Gaston threw all his weight into a right hook that caught Adam off guard. The impact caused him to twist and stumble backwards.

"Belle was _mine_! You had no right to intrude on our happiness!" Gaston roared out at the man trying to get himself straightened up.

There was another sudden punch as Adam surprised him with a right hook of his own. This one actually knocked Gaston down onto the floor and as he crawled forward to find something or someone to help him up, his angry adversary stalked towards him.

"She wasn't happy, you son of a bitch. She was _never _happy when she was with you..."

"You take that back!" Gaston exploded off of a chair he had found to pick himself up and soon their fight spilled out and away from its initial spot and towards the front yard. Many of the guests had stopped what they were doing and rushed to the outside in order to film the spectacle, egg the two on, or just watch in awe. Kristoff had followed the two as well, to make sure they didn't break anything or, well, each other.

Elsa in the meanwhile had been watching the whole debacle with slight intrigue. Of all the parties she had gone to, none of them had resulted in a fight such as the one she had the pleasure of seeing right now. It was interesting, that is...until they had mentioned that one name. That one damn name.

Belle.

_No fucking way. It can't be..._

"Those idiots." Mulan rolled her eyes. "I don't know why Gaston's still worked up about that anyway, Belle and Adam have been dating for like two months now. He really should just get over it."

_Two months? What the fuck?_

That math didn't add up at _all. _Belle wasn't a common name in these parts, although that could be said for many names here. Even so, there couldn't have been any doubt that the Belle they were talking about was...hers. Two months ago...did that mean...

"Hey Elsa, are you alright?" Flynn waved a hand over the distraught blonde's face in order to get her attention.

Mulan batted his hand away, "That's not gonna do anything, idiot. Put it down!" She looked concerned and started to make her way towards Elsa, "Seriously though, you don't look very good. Everything okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, I just..." Elsa paused for a second. Her mind was going to extreme lengths in order to process all this information, it was all just too damn much. All of a sudden she got out of her chair and bolted towards the bathroom. Kristoff's place was familiar territory so thankfully it didn't take long to find. Once there she got on her knees and immediately threw up in the toilet.

The pain in her stomach was matched and raised by the throbbing pain in her head. She felt angry, betrayed, confused, but most of all she just felt sick. Tears rolled down her cheeks as each wave of pain burst through her.

"Holy shit, Elsa. What happened?" she heard Mulan's voice cry out. Two hands hovered near her head as they held her hair back.

"You didn't see her drink anything tonight, did you?" Flynn asked, genuinely concerned.

"No...no I didn't. Elsa talk to us, do you want us to take you to the hospital or something?"

Elsa panted, her face was covered in tears and sweat, and she cried out from her position over the bowl, "No! No, I'll be fine!"

Time passed as they all waited to see if another bout of vomiting would take place, a minute later they all felt relief as it seemed like that wouldn't happen. Elsa got up off her knees with Mulan's help and walked to the sink. As she washed her hands and face, Flynn spoke up once more.

"Hey, you need one of us to take you home? I dunno about you, but I don't think being at this party any longer will be good for you."

The cold water felt good on Elsa's face, it snapped her out of her alarming trance if only for the moment. She wiped herself off with her shirt and sighed, "Guys it's okay...I'll be fine. But I think you're right, it's time I...probably headed home."

"Here, I'll walk you to your car just in case." Mulan offered.

"I...thanks." Arguing was pointless. She turned around as they walked and smiled back at Flynn, "It was nice meeting you."

"You too, I'll see you around maybe." Flynn waved back with his trademark grin she had gotten used to seeing tonight, although this one was different. It was lower in a sense, confidence melded with concern and both tried to show in that one expression.

The walk back was relatively silent as Elsa felt her head start to become foggy again with a dark butt of unwanted thoughts and emotions. Mulan spoke up when they were nearly there, "Alright come on now Elsa, what was that all about? Tell me."

Elsa shook her head, "It's nothing, really. I'm fine. I just drank too much I guess."

"Bullshit, Elsa. I didn't see you drink at all tonight, and when Kristoff introduced you to us you didn't look the least bit drunk. Now come on, you can tell me."

_Don't even try to talk, you are all kinds of fucked up right now._

"I..." Elsa started. She could feel her throat start to close up and her eyes start to sting again,.

"You know what, actually it's fine. I shouldn't put you in that kind of spot. How about instead...you just give me your number. Whenever you need someone to talk to, just text me and I can probably help. Sound good?"

Elsa closed her eyes and nodded, pulling out her phone and handing it to Mulan. They had finally gotten to her car and her phone was given back once the door had been unlocked. There was something different in Mulan's expression. The comfort was gone, replaced with what looked more like worry or concern.

"Text me when you can alright, Elsa?"

"Okay." she managed to say.

"And, uh..." Mulan held the door open and looked at her solemnly, "Try and cheer up, okay? She's not worth all this pain."

Elsa's drive back home was silent, focusing on the road proved to be a real daunting task as she asked herself question after question.

Why did Belle do it? How long had she been cheating on her? What the hell did Mulan mean by she wasn't worth it? Was going to the party really such a good idea?

As she pulled into her driveway, she realized that one of those questions had a definite answer. And pulling out her phone made it even more definitive.

There was Mulan's name on her contacts list. Right below Elise's. And right below Belle's.

And finally, in the confines of her car, away from prying eyes, away from any glaring looks, away from all the drama and anguish in her life, she finally found her distraction. Her head leaned on the steering wheel as unrelenting tears coated her face once more.

* * *

**A/N: Well I am incredibly sorry for not putting this out sooner, it's been a really hectic couple of weeks and then I got hit with a serious case of writer's block. It was bad. But hey at least it's out now, right? That's gotta count for something...**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**A/N: So it's come to my attention that my "cloud to butt" extension on Chrome is somehow messing with the chapters here too. -_- I'm going to look through every chapter to find out how many moments this hilarious extension has messed with.**

* * *

Anna felt a small object smack against her cheek and land on the lunch table with a soft thud. She looked down at it and pouted, turning to the other three people at the table who stared at her with interested looks.

"Alright, who did it?"

As if they had rehearsed it, all three of them pointed a finger at each other with faces masked by fake innocence.

It was the start of a new school week, the days that had preceded it had gone by in a blur and Monday afternoon was upon them in no time. Anna sat with the three people she knew well enough to call friends (Elise was still a bit iffy).

There was Violet, the wallflower in a turtleneck that was as dark as her hair. The way she behaved and her attitude contrasted surprisingly with how she performed, Anna had never seen a clarinetist quite like her before. The way her fingers danced around the keys, the stunning manipulation of her instrument to give her such an amazing range, obviously Violet had some sort of genetic gift that made her such a prodigy.

And then there were the two peculiar and inseparable cousins, the first was a tan, dark-haired girl named Lilo. This rowdy little spitfire was a perfect match to her trumpet playing. When it came to performing, to showcasing her abilities, Lilo had no shortage of confidence. Music-wise she was always, for the most part, on her best behavior, but once she set foot outside of the band room with Stitch in tow, well...to say that they always got into a bit of trouble would be an understatement.

Stitch, yes that was the name of the other half of this duo. Or at least that's what he went by. There were weirder names out there, Anna assured herself. His personality was a mirror image of his cousin's, physically they were drastically different, but behavior wise you couldn't find two people so similar. And he had this fascination with cerulean, it was noticeable in his shirt choice, his straight yet messy hair, and every single pair of drumsticks he owned, all colored this dark shade of blue. On the drums, he was an animal. His speed was unmatched by everyone, including Anna. It was this controlled frenzy that made him arguably the best drummer this school had to offer, even some of the seniors were jealous of him.

They were a rather odd bunch, the introverted virtuoso, the "Bonnie and Clyde" esque pair of cousins, and...Anna. The girl who looked up to these three due to their musical capabilities, the girl who was arguably the most...normal, for lack of a better word, out of all of them, and the girl who seemed to be the focus of attention at this point in time.

"Oh good we finally got your attention." Stitch finally ratted himself out by downing the rest of his small bag of carrots.

"Is everything alright, Anna?" Violet asked, she put a hand on the redhead's shoulder and looked at her concerned.

Anna was puzzled, "Yeah...everything's fine?" This was all so sudden, her friends were all looking at her like a family member just died. Most of them anyway, Stitch was trying his best to not suffocate with ten baby carrots in his mouth. "Where is this coming from?"

"Well what Violet is trying to get at is..." Lilo started, oblivious to her cousin's messy eating behind her, "You've been acting pretty weird lately."

A nervous sensation tingled down Anna's spine. "I-I have?" she questioned, hopeful that this wasn't going where she thought it was.

"Yeah like...since Wednesday you've been acting all, like...distant and stuff. Kinda out there, you know?"

"I, uh..." Anna shifted her eyes across the table and fought hard to avoid stammering over he words again, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Unfortunately for her, she was a terrible liar. And her friends knew it, as evident by their completely unconvinced expressions.

"Anna, you know you can tell us if anything's wrong, right? We're your friends." Violet smiled at her reassuringly. The gesture was nice, but unneeded. There was nothing _wrong_, per se.

"Guys, I'm okay!" Anna laughed nervously, "There's nothing wrong, really."

"Mmkay, so what's _right_ then?" Stitch finally spoke up as he swallowed the last bits of his horrible idea.

"What...do you mean?" the redhead eyed him curiously, once again pleading that this was going somewhere much different.

"Well like..." Stitch interrupted himself to grab at Lilo's own pack of carrots, only to have his hand swatted away. "Fine, anyway you said nothing was wrong so _obviously _that means something's right...right?"

"I, uh..." Anna was in a near panic trying to find out what to say to that.

"Ooh, let me guess! You got that solo in the third movement that you wanted." Lilo gauged.

"No...sadly."

"You...inherited a large amount of money from a really distant relative?"

"Please, you know I would have told you guys if that happened." Anna scoffed.

Stitch joined in on the futile attempts to read Anna's mind, "You got yourself a gig playing for some famous rock band and even though the money's great, it's eating up a bunch of your time."

The still slightly anxious redhead rolled her eyes, "You guys are terible at guessing." Their guesses so far were pretty off, but with her luck they might accidentally get to the nagging thoughts that had been bothering her for a week so far.

* * *

When Elsa had found her and Elise last Wednesday, Anna's heart fluttered at the sight of the older girl. Their eyes locked onto each others for what seemed like an eternity until Elise had finally snapped the two out of their gaze. Anna had tried her best to read past Elsa's initial surprised expression, but there was honestly just that. Surprise. There was no sign of vehemence in the blonde's stare, yet no trace of negativity either.

Being the eternal optimist she was, Anna took to that positively.

"Look I know you two already met, but don't just stand there without saying hi! That's so rude..."

Anna hid away the eagerness in her face. It seemed that Elise had finally dragged her into whatever the two sisters were disputing over. She held her breath waiting anxiousy for Elsa's reply, hoping that it would be as lovely and hopeful as the other few sentences they had exchanged with each other. Her over enthusiasm formulated only the best kind of responses, so she was more than slightly disappointed when all that the blonde could utter was "Hey."

What did _that _mean? Did Elsa just completely forget the moment they both shared? Did she just not _care _about it? Did Anna just delude herself into thinking that there was something between the two?

No she couldn't think like that, all those notions were silly and unrealistic. In her mind, the most logical explanation was that Elsa didn't do well when put on the spot, so she had to come up with something quick. Looking back on their previous conversation, it made a bit of sense. But being the stubborn girl that she was, Anna didn't want to leave this chance encounter on such a weak note.

"Hey!" Anna replied a bit too eagerly. "It's, uh...it's nice to see you again."

Waiting for Elsa's response felt like opening up a completely ambiguous Christmas present. Good or bad, Anna just needed to gauge the blonde's feelings in the most subtle way she could think of. Time seemed to move painfully slow, giving the sobering redhead enough time to realize that maybe, just maybe, she was setting herself up for disappointment. Her thoughts went back to that logical conclusion that there was no way an older girl like Elsa could _ever _fall for someone as young as her, that was just impossible.

Or so she thought.

"Yeah I'm really glad to see you again too." Elsa finally replied.

On the outside, Anna kept herself composed. For the most part. The slight intake of air, and the joyful grin on her face represented the gleeful, ecstatic feeling that electrified her on the inside. Rational thought mixed with idealistic interpretation, creating an entertaining thought process.

Elsa said she was glad to see her again! This was like a dream come true! But then again, it was probably out of politeness that she said that. Like Anna said it, and it was kinda just like saying "You too." except with more words. But then again she _did _add that "really glad" part. And it sounded like she meant it too. Or maybe that was even more common courtesy. But what if it wasn't?! But what if it was?! The response was so open to interpretaion that it was killing her.

At some point Elise had begun talking to her, saying something about how she was thankful for Anna's help. Swept up in her own hysteria, all she could do was nod and give vague, distant answers.

Anna sat back down at the table, relieved yet saddened at the two sisters leaving. She needed to calm herself down and that wouldn't happen if-

Oh _god_, Elsa looked back at her.

Those gorgeous blue eyes stared directly into Anna's smitten, teal ones. If she wasn't already sitting she was sure that the look would have caused her to swoon. Before any more damage could be done to her fluttering heart, she tore her gaze away from the blonde. Her cheeks felt hot, no doubt they had turned into a very noticeable shade of red. Part of her really hoped that Elsa had turned away immediately as well, but another larger part of her had desperately hoped she hadn't. She wanted to show the blonde who was getting farther and farther away what she could do to her, how she could make her feel, with just one look.

When the doors finally closed, Anna let out a breath she had somehow been holding in ever since Elsa's reply.

* * *

The next week was pure torture for her. Somehow even though she had been tutoring Elise almost every day, she was never able to see her older sister again. It was eating her up wondering what Elsa was doing, how she was feeling, if she was okay, and the not knowing was apparently affecting her behavior. She expertly vetoed her friend's guesses as to why she felt the way she did, wondering how they could be so off.

"You just finished a new book." Lilo said, slapping Stitch's thieving hand once again.

Anna shook her head, "The only book I'm reading right now is the one in English."

Stitch rubbed the red spot on his hand, scowling because his most recent attempt at stealing Lilo's food failed, "Okay so...you're taking a secret boxing class and didn't want to tell us until we were like under attack by a mugger and you could break out your new found skills?"

"Wh-what..." Anna sighed and put her face in her palms, "_Wow_, you guys are really off..."

"You like someone, don't you?" Violet guessed.

"NO!" Anna straightened up and tried to fix the shocked expression on her face as quickly as possible, but it was too late.

Her secret was out, and all her friends leaned in close with wide eyes and she just _knew _what the next question was.

Lilo squealed, "Oh my god! Who is it?!"

"Ugh!" Anna crossed her arms over the table and buried her head in between, trying to hide her embarassment.

"Tell usssssss..." Lilo grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

"No! I'm not telling you who it is..." Anna mumbled from her makeshift hideaway. She saw no point in lying, with her less than calm response earlier it was clearly obvious that there was indeed someone. But there was no way she would _ever _say who that someone was.

"You know she's just gonna keep rattling out names until she gets a reaction out of you." she heard Stitch add.

"I know, but I'm still not telling." Anna stubbornly added from between her arms.

"Tellustellustellustellustellustellus..." the dark-haired girl continued to ramble on and shake Anna over and over again, trying to get her upright and make her to admit who this mystery person was.

After a few more shakes and countless more utterances of the phrase "Tell us.", Anna finally sat back up and growled exasperatedly, "Ugh! For the last time I'm not gonna tell you-"

"Anna! There you are!"

The voice that interrupted her sounded very familiar, but before she had time to register who it was, she was hugged forcefully from the side.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

Such an energetic tone could only belong to one person that Anna knew, "Elise, uh hey...why so excited?"

"Look at this!" Elise excitedly pushed a paper in front of her. On it were a bunch of eraser markings, numbers, and letters. On the top right corner was the biggest and most important letter of them all: A large, red "A-" with smaller subtext that said _It's good to know you're finally understanding this better, keep it up._

Anna looked up at Elise, who was waiting impatiently for a response, and smiled surprisedly at her, "Wow, that's...that's amazing! Congrats!"

"I know, right?!" Elise finally let her go and practically bounced on her toes with excitement. "This is the highest score I've ever gotten on a test _ever._"

"Oh that can't be true..."

"But it is! I'm serious, it's the highest score I've ever gotten." Elise leaned in again to sneak in another quick hug and smiled gratefully as she pulled back, "And I owe it all to you."

Being apart from Elsa for so long had another unfortunate consequence. By spending so much time with Elise, she had begun to notice similarities between the two, much to her dismay. There were still differences between the sisters, for example the way they wore their hair and their mannerisms. Elise wasn't afraid to say what she felt, even if it made her seem kind of brash, and it seemed like Elsa was more composed and felt the need to think about what to say before saying it. Besides those, they still shared the same attitude, same likes and dislikes, and especially the same facial features. Down to the light dusting of freckles and the amazingly blue eyes.

And it was with these similarities that Anna had begun to see a lot of Elsa in her younger sister, which made their time together increasingly troublesome. With Elise so close to her at the moment, all that the lovestruck redhead could see was Elsa. Her eyes, her nose, her ears, her...lips. Lips that she could easily just pull in and kiss and _pretend _that...

Anna forcefully pulled her gaze away and blushed fiercely, mumbling out a "Thank you." to the blonde who stood back up.

"Mmhmm, no problem. I'll see you...tomorrow right? After school?"

"Yeah..." Anna nodded, ducking her head in hopes that it would somehow hide her expression.

"Great!" Elise looked up and waved to the rest of the table, "It was nice meeting you guys. How does it feel to be friends with such a genius?"

"Nice to meet you too." Lilo spoke for the confused trio. "And yes, we're _very _grateful to have such a wonderful brain in our presence. Oh, and Anna's pretty cool too."

Because her brain was an evil thing, when Elise laughed all she could picture was Elsa. And it _fit_, even if she had never heard Elsa laugh before. When the blonde raced off back to wherever she had come from, Anna finally found enough resolve to look back up at her friends who all looked at her with sly grins, like they knew something she didn't.

She coughed nervously, "Erm, uh...what's up guys?"

"Wow, you really know how to pick them, don't you?" Stitch said with a raised eyebrow.

"Wh-what do you mean?" She was genuinely lost. "What was going on here?"

Lilo giggled, "I think I know why you weren't so keen on telling us. You were scared that we were going to mock you for aiming high."

"Aiming high? What? What are you guys talking about?" Anna squinted at the three who still held those damn grins on their face.

"Your crush on Elise?" Violet voiced as if it was surpising that they had to spell it out for her.

"Wait, what?! I don't-I mean...what?!"

It seemed like the situation just kept getting worse and worse. Her secrets had been laid out embarrassingly fast, all but one. And that one secret was something she had to guard like her life, or at least her social status, depended on it.

"Aww, that's so cute!"

"You guys would be great together, you should totally go for it."

"You guys, I don't..." Anna stopped herself. If she _really _wanted to keep her feelings for Elsa a secret, then the only way to do that would be to stop her friends from guessing before their guesses start to hit a little _too _close to the mark. And in order to do that...

"Okay fine!" she finally conceded, "I like Elise okay? I didn't want to tell you guys cause...well I know she's way out of my league."

"Oh, you shouldn't let that stop you." Violet reassured her. "If you really like her, then you should go for it."

She faked her reservation towards the idea, "I-I'm not sure. You guys really think so?"

"Of course we do. You're seeing her Thursday, right? You should totally ask her out then."

"Whoa wait a second. Guys...I don't even know if she's...you know..."

"Won't know until you ask." Stitch shrugged, finally succeeding in grabbing Lilo's food without her knowing.

"So it's settled then." Lilo declared, "You are totally going to ask out Elise on Thursday because she totally likes you."

Well that was news to her. "Wait...how do you know?"

"Oh are you kidding me? The way she hugged you and looked at you, she's totally into you."

"A-are you sure?"

"Of course I am! And if I'm wrong, then-hey what are you doing?"

Lilo was interrupted by the sound of her food being slowly lost inside Stitch's mouth, taking her attention away from Anna as she tried her best to save what was left of it.

In the process of making things less complicated, she had only succeeded in the complete opposite. Anna watched her friends bicker, wondering once more when she would see Elsa again, and now wondering what the hell she was going to do about Elise.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**A/N: WARNING: Hardcore, under-aged, smut in this chapter. **

**I'm completely kidding, but I might actually bump up this chapter to...whatever rating is between T and M due to descriptive language and stuff. Have fun!**

* * *

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Elsa asked alarmingly as she opened her front door.

"Yeesh Elsa, is that how you greet _everyone _that visits you?" Mulan rolled her eyes, "Anyway Kristoff brought me here." She gestured to the blond man who waved back from behind his companion.

"Wait, you still know where I live?"

Kristoff shrugged, "I've been here enough times that the location just kinda dug into my brain, I guess. Now are you gonna let us in or not?"

Elsa shook her head and repeated herself, "Why are you guys here?"

"Let us in, and we'll tell you." he said. Usually he had such an aloof or sarcastic tone, the lack of either of them told Elsa that he was completely serious. As much as she wanted to close the door and slink back onto her bed, there was still that nagging bit of social grace left in her that said that was a terrible idea.

She sighed and walked away from the door. "Fine, come in..."

_Ugh, why?! Just pretend like you're sick or something and make them leave._

No, she couldn't do that. For one thing, now that she was finally up, there was a chance that trying to take a nap would just make things worse. Not to mention it had been a week since she had any sort of social interaction with anyone besides Elise and her parents.

She slumped onto her couch as Mulan and Kristoff followed suit, sitting adjacent to her with concerned looks that she knew the reason for.

"So...what's up?"

Mulan pulled out her phone and showed Elsa the text messages she had sent over the week that had gotten progressively more frantic and worrisome, " I think you know exactly what's up."

"Uh...you have a texting problem?" Elsa asked passively.

The dark-haired girl glared at her, "Be serious here, please? Kristoff says he hasn't seen you this whole week and you obviously haven't been replying to my messages. Now I feel like I already know what this is about, but I want you to tell us."

_Told you that staying home like a bum would be a bad idea._

Elsa sighed and tilted her hair back, "God, why do you guys even care?"

"Cause we're your_ friends_, Elsa." Kristoff spoke up. "Now Mulan here told me that after the party you looked like shit, my words not hers, and we wanted to check up on you. So like it or not we're here and we want to help. But first you gotta admit that there actually _is _something wrong."

"Look there's not!..." Elsa composed herself and grabbed a pillow next to her, clutching it tightly across her chest, "There's...nothing wrong, okay? I'm fine, I've just...been sick, that's all."

_You sound _so _convincing right now._

"I don't believe that for a second." Mulan said, "And I don't think you do either..."

She looked at her two apparent friends and searched their faces for anything that wasn't full-on compassion, but there was nothing else. They hadn't really given her any reasons to doubt them, there was no need to be sure about their intentions, but she figured if there _was _any doubt of their intentions she could confront it and keep from actually speaking. No such luck there.

Elsa closed her eyes, "Fine...fine yeah it's about...you know what."

"About...?"

"It's...about the party." she said defeated.

"You've been out of school for a week, Elsa..." Kristoff stated, "I'm an asshole, I knew that Adam and Gaston were fighting over her but I didn't know...well that other thing. I shouldn't have brought you over there knowing that."

Her arms tensed up as they wrapped around the pillow, afraid to look at either of them. It was harder work to stay _out _of school than it actually was to stay in even with knowing that she wasn't doing so well emotionally. Or mentally, for that matter. Once she had dropped off Elise, she had waited in the parking lot of some fast food restaurant until she knew for certain that her parents were gone. At home, her time was spent on her bed, on her bed, and...on her bed. The only thing she had any energy or motivation to do was lie in her bed and sleep. Or think. Which was dangerous for her, so she welcomed sleep with open arms, less time awake meant less time thinking. Crying was practically impossible, it seemed like all her tears had been used up the night of the party.

Not only that but her food supply of cereal, Hot Pockets, and broccoli (she had to eat _something _healthy) was running low. Chances are the empty fridge would raise questions from her parents but that was the least of her worries right now. And so was the homework that had probably been piling on this whole time. All she cared about was...well that was the thing, she hadn't really caredabout _anything_ this whole week.

"Elsa, if you don't mind me asking...how close were you and Belle?" Mulan said concerned. "I mean you had to have been really close if this affects you this badly, but...what did she do to you?"

"Mulan, I don't think that's such a good thing to ask right now..." Kristoff cautioned.

She sighed, "Yeah, I think you're right. Sorry Elsa, you don't need to answer that."

"No no, it's fine." Elsa spoke softly. She cleared her throat and found it in herself to finally look back up, "I think you deserve to know."

* * *

Their first encounter was such a vivid memory for her, reminiscing on it felt like actually being there again. She could remember the frantic and guilty feeling she had for being late to her first official college class, the sight of the entire classroom staring at her with judging eyes, and the relief she felt when she had finally sat down in the only empty seat left.

Although Elsa had told herself that now would be a good time to focus in class and not make a fool of herself, the person sitting next to her was making that increasingly difficult. Because the only thing she could think of as she looked at her classmate, at the way they gracefully rested their hand under a perfectly crafted chin, at those gorgeous chestnut locks, and at those half-lidded eyes watching attentively as the professor went over the syllabus, was one simple thought:

This girl was freaking cute.

As luck would have it, these would be their permanent seats for the entire semester and their first "assignment" would be to get to know their new partner better.

And to say her and Belle's first conversation was awkward would be an understatement.

When the professor had let them loose, Elsa was still in a daze and didn't hear the futile attempts at getting her attention.

All of a sudden a hand was being waved across her face as she heard a sweet, charming voice call out to her, "Is...anyone there?"

Elsa shook her head and straightened herself up, "S-sorry, sorry...I was uh...just..."

The girl in front of her leaned forward and squinted, staring directly into Elsa's eyes and leaving her even more smitten than before, "Are you on drugs?"

_Well...that came out of nowhere._

"No!" Elsa shouted, once again getting her entire class' attention. When the curious onlookers had finally gone back to conversing with each other, she cleared her throat. "I mean, uh...none that I know of anyway?"

_What the...what the hell is that even supposed to mean?_

"What is that even supposed to mean?" the girl asked with a less confronting, and more teasing, tone than when Elsa had asked herself the same thing.

"It means, uh...it means...so what's your name?" Elsa asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

Her companion giggled, "It's Belle. And yours?"

"E-Elsa. It's Elsa. Just...Elsa."

_God, why are you so damn awkward?_

"Well it's nice to meet you, Just Elsa." Belle replied coyly. "This your first semester here?"

Elsa's eyes widened, mostly out of surprise that Belle hadn't given up on trying to get actual sentences out of her yet. "Y-yeah it is. How can you tell?"

"First day of classes and you come in late, not to mention you look downright terrified right now, so either you're on drugs, which we've apparently already established you aren't, or this is your very first day here." she smirked back at the petrified blonde, "So...am I right? Or am I right?"

_Holy crap, this chick is good. You should totally just ask her out now since you've already made a fool of yourself already._

Sometimes Elsa hated the way her thoughts were so intrusive, and right now she completely despised it. She propped her elbows onto the table and covered her face with her hands, letting out a small, exasperated groan. "Ugh, yeah you're right."

And then there was a hand on her shoulder. A hand that sent chills down her spine due to the touch that felt so light and soft, and she was really glad her face was covered right now.

"Well don't be so nervous, you'll love it here. Trust me, this is my second year here and it's been nothing short of amazing." Belle reassured, "So hey, if you need anything don't hesitate to ask."

This was...unexpected. Elsa didn't expect Belle to even want to continue talking to her, let alone give her a helping hand. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all. She looked back at the girl who still had a hand on her shoulder, ignoring the roaring voice inside her head repeatedly telling her how good it felt, and returned the grin with her own faint smile. "I might just take you up on that offer."

Belle's smile grew, "Great! So can I have your number?"

_Wait, what?_

"Wait, what?"

"That is...unless you just want to like communicate during class only, that's fine by me too." she explained. "I just wanted to give you a more convenient way to ask me whatever you wanted."

"Oh..." Of course Belle just meant she wanted her number for school purposes. No way was this immediate attraction mutual. "Ye-uh, yeah sure...yeah I'll give you my number. That's totally fine."

"I didn't make you uncomfortable, did I?" Belle questioned.

"No, it's just I've...never really given my number out to anyone before." Elsa explained while handing her phone over.

"Oh okay. So you're fine with me being the first person then?"

Elsa nodded, pulling back her excitement yet waiting eagerly as the chestnut-haired girl tapped her fingers on the screen.

Over the next few months, Belle would become even more "firsts".

The first person to ever really get her out of her comfort zone:

"Oh come on, parties are fun! Just trust me on this okay?" Belle said as she pulled Elsa towards the front door.

"I'm...still not sure about this. I don't know anyone here, and I'm a complete nervous wreck right now." the blonde replied cautiously.

"Okay so be a nervous wreck, but go in anyway. Besides, you'll know me so that's one person down! Only like twenty more to go!"

She was the first person she actually felt excited working on a project with:

"Do you...usually do this much work on a group project?"

Belle stared in awe at the stack of papers with assorted graphs and lettering that covered Elsa's desk.

Elsa shrugged, "What can I say? I like to work."

"It looks like you're writing a novel. Let me know when you're finished with it by the way, I'm running out of stuff to read."

"Will do."

"So wait, what am I here for?"

The studious blonde looked over at her friend who had made herself comfortable on her bed, ignoring the prominent voice in her mind that said to join her, and raised an eyebrow, "I...assume you'd want to start working on your part."

"_M-my par..._" Belle stammered and gestured back at the papers, "You're telling me that _all this _is all your part of the project?"

Elsa smirked knowingly, a little trick she had picked up from hanging out with the brunette for so long, "You didn't really expect me to do your work too, did you?"

"You're insane, you know that?"

A couple months into the semester, Belle would be the first to offer her a shoulder to cry on:

"Shh, it's okay Elsa, just let it out."

"I don't..." Elsa hiccuped as she continued to stain her best friend's shirt with her tears, "I...there's nothing for me to cry about, why are you letting me..."

She felt arms wrap around her tightly and a soothing voice continue to tell her that everything was going to be okay.

"You don't need a reason to cry sometimes." Belle reassured her, "You're stressed out, it's understandable what with it being your first semester in college. Trust me, I've been there."

Elsa sniffled, in Belle's arms everything felt like things really were going to be okay. She returned the hug and muttered out a "Thank you." as she felt the tears finally start to recede.

Surprisingly, a couple weeks later, she would be the first person that Elsa would ever ask out.

And more surprisingly, the first person that would say yes:

"Yes! Of _course_ I'd love to go out with you."

Elsa stammered, "R-really? Uh...are you sure? You're...you're not just messing with me, right?"

Belle laughed that rich, sweet laugh of hers that she had loved since day one, "Oh don't be so hard on yourself, Elsa. I've been waiting to say yes for awhile now actually."

_She...whoa..._

"Yo-uh...you...what?"

The brunette pulled her in for a hug, wanting to show how much she felt for Elsa rather than keep saying it.

So then she would have her first date, which went surprisingly well. And then a second date which went even better. And a third date...

And on that third date, they would share their first kiss:

Under the cover of darkness, with the only light shining on them being the streetlamp illuminating the park bench they sat on which overlooked a vast lake shimmering in the moonlight. It was Elsa, surprisingly, who had taken the initiative. During a lull in their conversation she leaned in a bit too fast and had accidentally pressed too hard, feeling equal parts pain and pleasure shooting through every nerve in her body. Her inexperience caused her to pull away too early, leaving her wanting more but not knowing how to say so.

"I-I'm sorry I...I shouldn't have done that. That was, I don't even know what ca-"

Elsa's stammering was silenced as Belle took the initiative this time and showed her what a kiss was really supposed to feel like.

The kisses were just the start for them. A month after that date, Belle would be a different kind of first for her:

"Elsa..." Belle panted as she bunched her hands at the bottom of her girlfriend's shirt, "Elsa do you trust me?"

"Yeah, of course I do." Elsa said as she trailed her hands up and down the body on top of her. "Why what are you th-oh!"

Lips had found their way on her weak spot, the skin between her neck and collarbone, that made her incapable of muttering out anything that wasn't groans of pleasure.

"Because...I've wanted to do something...for awhile...but I need you...to trust me..." the brunette explained in between kisses.

In her lust-filled high Elsa would have agreed to anything. She didn't protest when Belle had expertly discarded her of her shirt, and her pants, and she was stunned into silence when she felt a touch that felt so foreign, and new, and so...right.

Their first time was exhilarating, raw passion had overtaken the two and it culminated in an amazing, unforgettable night. This was supposed to be a monumental step in their relationship.

And it was. But not in the direction that Elsa had expected.

After that first time, Belle seemed to grow much more distant, closed off. Try as she might, Elsa wasn't able to hold a conversation with her girlfriend for longer than five minutes. The replies to her texts seemed to be one or two words at best and getting her attention in class was incredibly difficult. Her mind just seemed to be on other things, which wouldn't be too bad if her girlfriend would just _talk _to her.

Even with all their time spent together, Elsa still hadn't become the most social of people. And the thought of bringing up a problem in their relationship was terrifying, the fear of what the truth could be was easy enough to be used as an excuse to not bring up this problem at all. All she could hope for was that things would get better before they got worse.

But that was not the case, a week had passed and things were still the same. So now, whether she liked it or not, Elsa had to talk this through with Belle if she wanted to save their relationship. She was frightened, never actually being in this situation. But all she could do was _be _frightened, and then talk this out anyway.

On the day she had finally found the courage to settle this, Elsa had gotten a text that caused her entire world to come crashing down:

_Elsa...I'm so sorry but I don't think I can do this to you anymore._

She tried her hardest to find any way that could have any sort of positive meaning, but each explanation got less and less rational.

_What? Belle, please don't do this. Let's just talk this through first. Please..._

Elsa's mind searched frantically for the right words to type, trying her best not to sound desperate and pleading.

_No, just listen to me. You need to find someone else because I just...I don't deserve you._

What was that supposed to mean? What was going on? Why was any of this happening?

_Don't say that! Belle don't say that. Just talk to me, please. _

_Listen, just forget about me okay? Forget about us. I can't keep leading you on like this. I'm not what you want, trust me._

Elsa had no choice left, it was time to bring out the last resort.

_You're wrong! You're my best friend, my only friend, you're everything to me. I...there's no way I can ever find someone like you. And I don't _want _to, all I want is you. Belle, I..._

And it was in this last ditch effort to save their relationship that Elsa would first say "I love you."

One text later, it would also be the first time someone would ever break up with her:

_I'm sorry I can never be everything you're looking for. But I know someday you'll find someone who is._

* * *

Mulan's expression was sympathetic and shocked at the same time, "Wow, that is just...my god Elsa, that's horrible."

"Holy shit, even _I _didn't know like half of that." Kristoff added.

Recounting the memories actually seemed to cause less harm than she was expecting. There was still an aching pain in her stomach caused by the actual retelling but it was manageable. "It's...yeah...I guess it is pretty horrible."

"You guess?! She used you! I mean you didn't know that then but you do now. Elsa...Belle cheated on you..."

The truth stung, and it stung hard. Actually hearing it felt like a nail being dug into her abdomen, twisting and prodding mercilessly.

Belle _had _been cheating on her, for how long was still a mystery but that fact still remained.

"So...how are you feeling now?" Mulan asked curiously.

"I...I don't know..." her eyes started to grow misty and her throat was closing up on her, making it harder to speak, "I just...I thought she loved me. I thought..."

Elsa couldn't say anymore as she buried her face into the pillow, letting the tears take over.

At some point in her sobbing, a pair of arms had wrapped around her shoulders and held her close, Elsa took great comfort in it and didn't dare to move in case they had pulled away.

"It's alright, Elsa. It's gonna be alright." Mulan soothed, "You shouldn't have kept this all inside of you, it's not healthy."

"I know." Elsa whispered faintly, "I know..."

"But letting it out like this, now this is healthy. Don't bottle in your emotions, just let it all out. We're here for you."

Kristoff had joined the two on the couch, and not wanting to intrude on the moment he simply laid a hand on Elsa's back to show that yes he was here for her too. "We're your friends, Elsa. Don't ever be afraid of telling us stuff like this."

Those words did more for her than a month's worth of sobbing alone and practically shutting down emotionally in order to not feel pain anymore. They were right, concealing all of this on her own was only making things worse. Actually talking things through with someone was exactly what she needed. For the first time in awhile, Elsa felt something other than guilt, or shame.

She lifted her head off the pillow and sniffled, "Th-thank you guys, really. I'm glad you're here and...I'm sorry for trying to shut you guys out at first."

Mulan chuckled, "Nah it's fine, I mean we did sorta come here unannounced after all."

Elsa smiled sadly, still coming down off her emotional high. "So...now what?"

"Well we could just stay here and you can show Mulan around your house, I've already seen this place inside and out so I think I'll just raid your fridge." Kristoff grinned as he stood back up off the couch.

"About that, uh...we're kinda out of a bunch of food."

"Wait seriously?! How much have you been eating?"

Mulan gasped as she reached over to slap the man on the arm, "Kristoff! You know better than to never say that to a woman."

"Ow!" he said while rubbing the sore spot, "You hit pretty hard, you know that?"

"Yeah well what do you expect? I've been taking martial arts lessons like since I could walk."

Elsa giggled and shook her head as the two continued to bicker, vibrations started to go off in her pocket and she pulled her phone out, squinting at the number on the screen. She pressed a button and put the phone up to her ear.

"Dad?"

_"Elsa! Thank god, I need you to do me a huge favor and you can't say no."_ a feminine voice that definitely was not her dad suddenly replied.

"Wait, what? Elise,what's going on? And of course I can say no."

_"No you can't, anyway I need you to go my school and tell Anna I can't make it to our tutoring session today. I completely forgot I had a doctor's appointment, I'm in dad's car right now and we're already on our way there so can you pleeeeease go tell her? I don't want it to seem like I stood her up."_

_Oh god, why is this happening _now_?! I hate you, Elise._

"Why can't you just text her yourself?" Elsa reasoned, now standing and pacing around the room restlessly.

_"Because I'm an idiot, okay? Is that what you want to hear?"_ Elise sighed, _"Look I forgot to charge my phone last night, that's why I'm using dad's phone right now so can you just...okay? I'll owe you!"_

"You already owe me, remember?"

_"Fine then I'll owe you twice! Double! Whatever, can you just go?"_

Her sister was getting more aggravated by the second, which in any other situation Elsa would enjoy but right now she was feeling the same exact emotion. She absolutely did _not _want to do this, at all. Being alone with Anna the first time was a mess. The second time with Elise just made things worse. And _now_? No, she couldn't even think about that.

_Let's not pretend for a second though that you actually _do _kinda want to do this._

Damn her brain for always being right. She couldn't possibly say no without coming up with some well-crafted and thorough lie, which she was incapable of doing ever. There was no getting out of this.

"Ugh fine, I'll do it."

After all, there was no way she could possibly mess up a third time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Only a handful of times in her life has Anna ever really been caught completely off guard. There was that time as a child where she was caught on the kitchen floor surrounded by the remnants of what was once a full cookie jar. And then another time when she had somehow forgotten to bring her sticks for a concert back in middle school. And how could she ever forget the time her mom had gotten a hold of her laptop and confronted her about a certain website that was in her bookmarks.

But none of those moments paled in comparison to this one. She had been pacing anxiously waiting for Elise to show up, trying to word exactly what she needed to say perfectly, when the door opened. And the person on the other side was the absolute last person she had expected.

"Elsa, uh...h-hey! What are...what are you doing here?" Anna said with a mix of relief and surprise hidden behind a generic smile.

"Hey! I'm just...like...here on Elise's behalf. She said she couldn't make it today and wanted me to tell you." Elsa explained.

That was some odd decision making, why go through all this fuss just to tell Anna that she couldn't make it to their tutoring session?

"This seems kind of excessive, don't you think?" Anna questioned, containing the excitement she felt for actually continuing this conversation.

Elsa shrugged, "Yeah well that's how Elise is sometimes. And, well, apparently her phone ran out of battery so she couldn't text you anyway."

"Oh..." Anna was irrationally disappointed, somehow believing that Elsa's reason for being here was that she just _really _wanted to see her again, and not something that was a bit more realistic. "Well, thanks for coming all the way here to tell me then."

"Hey, it's no problem at all. Besides I..." the older girl paused for a second, "I was in the area anyway, the school was like...five minutes away so I thought, you know, might as well."

What was _that _about? In their short time together, Anna hadn't exactly picked up on _all _of Elsa's cues or quirks, but that last statement seemed off. It didn't sound believable at all, not to Anna and probably not even to herself. But on the chance (and chances were good) that this was all being read horribly, she didn't want to put any more attention on that pause.

Even so, when would there ever be another time when Anna would have Elsa to herself? She needed to somehow make this moment last, before they parted ways again for who knows how long.

"So...how have you been?"

Those words were exactly what Anna wanted to say, but they didn't come from her. Seemed like she wasn't the only one that wanted this conversation to continue. That or Elsa was just being courteous. Honestly the first one sounded like a much better answer, and it made her heart skip a beat just thinking about how curious Elsa was about her life and how she was doing and how...she should probably stop thinking like this.

"I'm good, thanks. Uh, how about you?"

"I'm...doing fine. I'm fine."

There it was again. That _pause_. What was going on? Was she okay? Did someone hurt her? Was it her? Did _Anna_ hurt her somehow? Did she really not want to be here? Was it all of the above?!

Part of her just _really _wanted to say something, to ask what's wrong. The other part, that dreadful part full of rationality, told her that was a dumb idea because, again, they barely knew each other and she shouldn't be poking in her personal business.

Instead of saying any of that, all that came out was "Well I'm glad to hear it."

"Thank you." Elsa replied. "So..."

"So...?" Anna said curiously. Was Elsa _actually _going to confide in her about something? This was exhilarating and she held her breath patiently as the blonde continued her statement.

"I...uh, nothing. It's nothing, I'm just gonna go. Nice to see you again."

And with that the blonde turned on her heels and walked away, leaving her to stand awkwardly, taking in what just happened with complete confusion.

Was...was that it? All that buildup for nothing? No that couldn't be it, Anna was too stubborn for this encounter to end on such an abrupt and uneventful tone. She was too headstrong, or maybe just too stubborn, for that.

With Elsa getting further and further away, her window of opportunity to say something was closing fast. No time to think, or plan, all she could do was talk. Say the first thing that came to her mind, and hope that she could roll with it somehow.

"Can I have your number?!"

Well on the bright side, that was certainly enough to get Elsa's attention as it stopped her dead in her tracks. But...how was she supposed to reason her way out of _that_?!

The older girl had turned around now and stared at Anna like she just asked if she could see her naked, her face was painted with genuine shock and confusion. "I-I'm sorry?" she stammered out.

Talking was always one Anna's strongest, and only, suits and it gotten her out of many messes before. It looked like that would have to be the case this time as well.

"No I just meant like..." the redhead sighed as she started to walk forward, "Maybe, I dunno, maybe this isn't going to be like this one time thing. Maybe another doctor appointment comes up, or maybe she's sick at home and can't reach her phone or something, or maybe she's like in a coma or-oh wow, I'm so sorry I didn't mean like I _except _her to be in a coma or something and...god I'm making it much worse. You know what? Forget I said anything, I'm just being stupid so...don't mind me."

That was awful. Of the countless times that Anna had ever mindlessly rambled before, this was by far the worst attempt. She ducked her head to hide the miserable blush on her face, Elsa probably thought she was a complete idiot now.

"No, I-I get it. It's fine, of course you can have my number."

Oh. Well then.

This...was going unexpectedly well all things considered. It seemed like Anna could do no wrong today, and it felt amazing and strange at the same time, like this was all a dream. And if it was a dream, hopefully she wouldn't wake up anytime soon. She looked back up at Elsa who returned the look with a neutral smile and an outstretched hand. Still trying to fully register what happened, all that the redhead could do was stare at the hand puzzled.

"Umm, Anna? Your phone?"

_She said her name again_. God it sounded like heaven coming from those lips, and while there was no difference in her voice when she said it, the inflection enough was to make her weak in the knees and-oh right, her phone.

"Right! Sorry! I was...just...didn't think you'd say yes, is all." Anna stammered out as she fished her phone out of her pocket.

"It's fine." Elsa giggled.

Anna let the sound sink in, grateful for knowing exactly how it sounded like now. She was still in total disbelief that this was happening, in mere seconds she would have Elsa's number on her phone and...and then what?

So she got Elsa's number, but it wasn't like she could ever really use it for casual conversation. She herself made it very clear that this number would only be used when there was conflict regarding Elise. And here lied the disappointing truth: Until this kind of thing happened again, all Anna could do was wait. And wait. And wait...

"Well there you go." Elsa said as she handed the phone back, "If this kinda thing happens again, I'll keep in touch."

"Thanks." Anna spoke while trying to hide the solemness in her tone. "So I'll...see you later then?"

"Probably, yeah." the blonde shrugged. "Oh..."

The younger girl waited for her to finish but she didn't say anything else. Instead Elsa started to stretch out her hand, moving it closer and closer towards her.

What...was going on now? Was Elsa going to pat her on the shoulder again? The head? Was she going to give her a hug? Or what if...no, that would be stupid.

But the hand was getting closer and closer, its goal still unknown, and its proximity made Anna almost shudder. Her eyes closed on instinct as she awaited the touch, any touch. Hoping for the absolute best case scenario.

And then the hand brushed over her shoulder, sending an electrifying tingle down her spine and through her stomach; she thanked herself profusely for deciding to wear a tank top today. Another brush followed, this one quicker and with less contact than the first. And then it was over.

"Sorry there was something on your shoulder and it was bugging me."

Anna's eyes fluttered open as Elsa moved away, her shoulder still burning enjoyably from the touch. "It's fine, thanks..." she breathed out.

"So I'll...see you later."

"Yeah..." Anna clutched her shoulder, her mind absolutely blank as she tried to hold on to this feeling as long as possible.

* * *

_What in the hell is wrong with you?!_

Elsa rushed out of the back area of the high school, walking so fast she may as well have been running. Everything that had just happened, should have absolutely not happened. At all.

_Why what...just...what the fuck, Elsa?! _

The plan was supposed to be so damn simple: Go in, tell Anna the news, get out. That was _it. _No need to stay any longer than as needed, it was going to be easy and painless. But of course, nothing in her life was ever really easy or painless. And sometimes it was through no fault of her own.

This, obviously, was not one of those times.

What is it with being around Anna that made Elsa so hopeless? So unable to listen to the screaming voice inside her head telling her over and over again that everything she did today was a bad idea?

Her mind was racing as she ran down every mistake she had made in those short few minutes the two had spent together.

The first mistake were those three damn pauses in their conversation she _really _hoped Anna didn't notice. Resorting to lying in order to not out herself for actually wanting to see the redhead again was just the start. But then she had to go and almost spill her guts out when Anna asked how she was doing, luckily she came to her senses and realized that kind of crazy shouldn't be dumped on this poor girl so suddenly. And then there was that "So..." that completely came out of nowhere. One simple word that she had uttered without thinking about where the hell she was going with it.

God, she was a mess.

By the time Elsa had reached the front entrance of the school, her mind was finally mulling over mistake number two: giving her number to Anna. This was something that absolutely should not have happened in a million years, and yet it happened in only a couple short weeks. The reasoning Anna had given for it was absolutely terrible, it probably would have been better had she said she just _really _wanted Elsa's number. But she put none of the blame on the younger girl, because she had said yes regardless.

Safe inside her car, away from prying eyes and anyone that could hear, she lay her head on the steering wheel and let out an exasperated groan.

She could honestly forgive herself for those first two blunders, those were harmless mistakes and sort of easy to remedy if the time came. It was her last mistake, her last momentary lapse of weakness, that may have, no it absolutely caused some pretty irreparable damage. In her defense, she wasn't lying when she said there was something on Anna's shoulder. A leaf had somehow found its way on that freckled bit of skin that somehow didn't get the younger girl's attention.

And the _logical _thing to do would have been to just _tell _her that there was something on her shoulder, let her dust it off herself. But again, there was something about being around Anna that made her throw any and all logic out the window, it made her mind go blank. Or rather, completely focused on this girl alone. It caused her to be oblivious to any consequences of her actions and act on instinct instead of doing what would cause the least amount of backlash.

So instead of telling her, she reached over and dusted it off herself. And as her mind protested and screamed "_No!" _and _"What the hell are you doing?!" _and _"Stop!"_, she drowned that out by occupying herself with the feel of Anna's skin under her fingertips. The softness of her shoulder, the way the strap on her tank top nudged slightly between both brushes, it made her senses overload with this need for more.

Thankfully, there was still that tiny shred of self-control that had been holding on which pulled back Elsa's hand. She had apologized for once again touching her so...indecently, expecting Anna's trademark giggle, or a completely justified chastising, but instead all she got in return was a breathy, distant "It's fine, thanks..."

That was a big enough red flag to get out of there, and fast.

After a few minutes of wallowing in self pity, Elsa realized that it was probably a good idea to start her car and get out of the school before she made a fool of herself even more.

Her head was pounding as those last few words rang in her ears. The innocence mixed with sheer satisfaction, it was intoxicating. Just the sound alone, the remnants of it that still rung in her ears, had made her so damn weak.

_God, okay I think you need to sort some shit out like right now._

For once, she agreed with herself.

One thing was very certain, unless Anna was some sort of shut in who had never been touched before, the reaction to when Elsa had brushed the leaf on her shoulder wasn't...well it wasn't expected. She _liked _the touch. A lot. Which reinforced her confirmation that Anna was definitely attracted to her.

And what scared Elsa the most wasn't this younger girl's infatuation with her that was real and growing.

Neither was it the fact that she was finding it harder and harder to distance herself from Anna, in order to protect her from something this dangerous, controversial even.

No, what scared her the most was that she was slowly losing the ability to care about how wrong this all was, and about any of the consequences on acting on these sick feelings.

She was scared of how much she was beginning to want Anna.

* * *

**A/N: Let me just take the time to not only apologize for how sickeningly short this chapter is, but also to thank you all for your reviews and your follows and all those other things you guys do that make me feel all giddy and grateful. Thank you so much, I'll try and put out a longer chapter as soon as possible. **


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Lilo stared at her friend apologetically as she told them the bad news, "Aww, she said no?"

"Yeah..." Anna shrugged, "I should have known that she wasn't into...you know."

"You?" Stitch answered bluntly.

The redhead looked back offended and gasped, "No, I meant girls! Thanks for boosting my self esteem, you jerk."

Of course Anna had never actually asked Elise out in the first place, two weeks had passed since the day she was actually _supposed _to do sobut her mind was focused on something much more...important. Luckily, she had enough foresight to fabricate some sort of excuse to actually get out of this predicament once and for all.

With Lilo busy chiding her cousin for his insensitivity, Violet took to comforting Anna some more by patting her shoulder reassuringly. "You're gonna be alright though, right?"

Anna brushed off the hand like it was a snake and replaced it with her own, getting a strange look from her friend.

"Sorry I just...I must have tweaked my shoulder while drumming or something." she lied. Her fingers rubbed at her supposed sore spot, trying for the hundredth time in two weeks to get that sensation back.

"Oh...well have you tried to like ice it or something?" Violet suggested.

"Hmm?" the redhead asked lazily as her mind drifted back to that day.

"Your shoulder, did you try to ice it?"

"Oh! Right! Umm...well not yet. It must have slipped my mind." Her distant tone mixed with a feeling of solemness, almost distress. Who knew being apart from Elsa for so long would affect her this much?

Lilo had finally joined back in the conversation while a fully chastised Stitch looked on attentively, "You must be really shaken up about this, aren't you?"

"Yeah..." Anna sighed, "It's just...I guess I deluded myself into thinking I had a chance, you know? It was stupid, no way was _that _ever happening."

"Hey, don't say that! You're still young, you'll find someone. And yeah, maybe things didn't work out now, but they will in the future."

"Ugh, what was I even thinking trying to go after her? I mean for god's sake she's like f...ar out of my league." the redhead almost had a heart attack due to that near confession.

"Ah come on, you shouldn't let some make believe idea about 'leagues' stop you." Stitch added, oblivious to her blunder. "If you like someone, then you shouldn't care about boundaries like that, you just gotta go for it. And you did! I mean it went terribly, but still you did it."

"Nice save." Lilo said sarcastically.

Anna smiled and felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, "No no, it's fine. He's right, I put myself out there and didn't care about any boundaries. It didn't work out but still, that shouldn't stop me from-"

She tried to soften the extreme look of shock on her face as the screen on her phone lit up, showing a text message that got her full attention.

* * *

Elsa sat restless at a library desk, staring intensely into the glow of her phone. A thin black line blinked on and off, marking the end of a four letter word she had been obsessing over for weeks now: Anna.

Ever since their moment alone together two weeks ago, all she could think about was this girl. What she was doing, where she was, how she was feeling, and the most torturous of all were the thoughts that went back to that day and how everything went so wrong, and yet how everything felt so right. The way Anna first saw her with that surprised look on her face, the way she had just blatantly asked for number, and of course that breath. That damn exhale when Elsa had touched her that sent tingles down her spine and caused her to become this irrational mess of a person, one that acted on instinct and want instead of logic.

It had gotten so bad that the voice in her head had begun to agree with her instead of trying to talk her out of doing something stupid, like steal her sister's phone and get a hold of Anna's number.

_Sigh, are you..._really _sure you want to do this?_

Yes...no...maybe, Elsa didn't know what she _wanted _to do, all she knew was that she just _needed _to do something. The number on the screen was eating at her, she could actually feel her heart racing as panic started to set in. Who knew being apart from Anna for so long would affect her this much?

Every passing second strengthened her insecurities. One second she decided on deleting the number instead to save herself from yet another awkward situation, and the next she wanted to pour out her feelings through a giant wall of text. Entire conversations were running through her head, simulating Anna's reactions as if she knew exactly what she would say.

_And of course you don't know how she'll react cause you're not Anna. _

This wasn't going anywhere, she was worried about something that hadn't even happened. Already mapping out this impending doom was so ridiculous in its logic, or lack of. If there was going to be any progress at all she just had to dig down and not think. Just act. Deal with the consequences later.

Elsa let out a long breath, counted to five, and typed out the first thing that came to mind.

_Hey it's Elsa! Please don't freak out, but Elise gave me your number._

And now came the agonizingly long wait for any sort of reply, or for none at all. Both outcomes were equally as terrifying. Cause if there wasn't an answer, she would take that as a sign that either Anna just didn't want anything to do with her anymore and that she was creeping her out...or she just put her number in her phone wrong.

Oh, but what if there _was _a reply? It could be anything, she could legitimately tell Elsa now that she _was _creeping her out and to lose her number, or it could be someone else telling her she had the wrong number, or it could be someone else pretending to be Anna for the longest time and accepting Elsa's advances and they agree to meet up and it turns out the person is an undercover cop and arrests her for trying to do a minor and...

_Oh god, what the hell is wrong with you?_

Five minutes passed and now she was regretting every decision she had ever made that hour, that day, hell every decision she had made this entire time. Her heart was racing, the phone in her hands felt like it was going to explode at any minute. Every glance made her heart pound with anticipation.

_You're acting like an idiot, just put the phone away oh my god._

She was seriously considering throwing her phone across the library, her hand was stretched back and everything when she felt a vibration in her palm.

And after reading the message, she finally allowed herself to let out the breath she'd been holding in.

_Anna: Oh hey Elsa! It's no problem at all. :)_

* * *

In hindsight, Anna probably should have chosen a better hideaway than a bathroom stall but this was the closest place and she needed some sort of legitimate excuse to get away from her friends to send back a reply.

The light was dim and the tiled, hollow walls ensured that she best not make too much noise in case someone were to overhear. Sitting on the actual toilet was not an option at all so she paced around the large stall, waiting for a reply and hoping hers was good enough to not come off as too forward. Or needy. Or just...Anna-like in general.

On the other hand, she was still giddy over the fact that _Elsa _had actually texted _her. _And it didn't sound like it was an Elise situation at all, she just wanted to say hi. To _Anna_. She wanted to actually have a conversation with her. So much so that she had actually gotten her number from Elise. This was exciting, and the best kind of progression in their relationship possible. Her heart was racing at the implication and before she could explode from giddiness, her phone vibrated once more.

_Elsa: Oh thank god, I was worried this would be a wrong number or something._

Anna chuckled, she could feel the sigh of relief coming through the text. And the tone of this conversation made her feel much more relaxed and ready for a reply.

* * *

_Anna: lol, now why would you think that? :P_

As stupid as it may sound, Elsa could just feel Anna's personality shine through these pixels on a screen. It was like she was having an actual conversation with her again, minus the weird faces and the lol's. Mere contact with her, even through their phones, made her feel much less tense and eager to continue.

_Elsa: Oh well you know how siblings are, always trying to make you look like an idiot._

God, everything just felt so natural now. Through text, she didn't have to worry about making a fool of herself with her actions or facial expressions, she could take time to actually find out what to say. And there wouldn't be any repercussions or hurt feelings due to her inability to make appropriate sentences.

_Anna: well not really, I'm an only child so... :/_

Elsa sunk her head down on the desk and groaned quietly.

_Wow, way to go you jerk._

* * *

Anna bit her lip in anticipation for the next reply. She was hoping that she wasn't coming off as too snarky or condescending, she would hate for Elsa's opinion of her to be soured through a simple text. It was an honest mistake on Elsa's part really, and she just wanted to correct her. But maybe, the reply was a bit too much. An apology was already typed out on her phone when she got another reply.

_Elsa: Crap sorry, I shouldn't have assumed._

It was just as she thought, the comment _did _make Elsa feel bad. Well, the least she could do was make things right.

_Anna: It's fiiiiiiiine, you didn't know! Being an only child sucks anyway XP_

There. Hopefully that would be enough to keep Elsa from being all mopey about this. She chuckled to herself, enjoying this conversation a lot more than she probably should. Not even a minute had passed by when a reply came through.

_Elsa: Still though, I wouldn't wanna hurt your feelings._

A big, goofy grin formed on Anna's face as she read the message. It was such a cute moment of clarity being shown from Elsa, who was usually so cool and collected, for the most part, when they were alone. This was neither, this was innocence and caring. And it felt nice.

* * *

_Anna: Aww! :) You could never hurt my feelings._

God, everything this girl said warmed Elsa's heart. Made her feel less insecure, it became less and less about what she should say and more about just being in the moment. Being with Anna, even when she was miles away and not _really _with her right now. And because of that, everything just seemed to come a lot easier to her.

_Elsa: Well good, I wouldn't like to see you sad or anything._

And it was at this point that Elsa had begun to curse herself for not being able to show the same enthusiasm that Anna had been showing in her texts all this time. It just felt like if she tried, it would come off as forced, unnatural. But so far, Anna didn't seem to be put off by any of the messages so she must be doing _something _right.

_Anna: You're too sweet! :D and thanks_

_Elsa: You're sweeter-_

She tapped furiously at her screen to delete the message before sending it off. What was she doing?! Yeah okay, she liked Anna. That was _very _clear. And maybe, just maybe, Anna liked her too. But on the off chance that she was reading this all wrong, what the hell was she thinking sending off a message like that?! Taking things slow, that was the answer. No sense in freaking this girl out by being so damn flirty off the bat.

* * *

_Elsa: It's the least I can do, what with you helping Elise out and all._

Oh, right. Elise. That was why Elsa was texting her in the first place, that's what this was all about. And as much as Anna _wanted _to believe there was something more here, she couldn't do that to herself. Believing in something where there was a large chance of nothing coming out of it was a game she shouldn't be playing.

But she wanted to, so badly. Maybe calling Elsa the prize at the end of this would seem insensitive but there was no other way to put it. Whatever Anna worked for, she got; that's what she kept telling herself. And it hadn't failed her yet.

* * *

_Anna: No problem :P_

Damn, this text didn't really give Elsa an opportunity to keep the conversation going. But she had her attention now, no way was she going to end this on such a dull note. She thought for a second on how to continue, and decided that while they were already on the subject of her sister, might as well keep rolling with it to save face.

_Elsa: So hey, if there's anything that Elise can do to make it up for you, let me know so I can...I dunno, twist her arm to do it._

She didn't really do well with small talk either. Even through text, that was still a challenge. Just casually bringing up topics like family, or the weather, or other things normal people probably talk about, was a foreign concept for her. But this is Anna she was talking to, so might as well start getting better at it.

_Anna: :o don't do that! besides, she said she might come to my concert soon?_

And that right there was another "in", something Elsa needed to take advantage of. And something she needed to talk to Elise about later.

_Elsa: Well I'll make sure she goes, even if I have to go myself just to make sure._

_Oh please, you know you'd want to go anyway._

That was...undeniably true. Another excuse to see Anna again _and _a chance to see her in her element? She was definitely coming to this whether her sister wanted her to or not.

_Anna: :D are you sure?! cause you don't have to if you don't want to_

Her adorableness was so damn intoxicating sometimes. Or rather, all the time. Of course she'd have to move around her packed schedule full of nothing to make time for something that now took top priority, but it would be worth it. Anna was worth it.

* * *

_Elsa: Of course I want to go, it'll get me off my ass and out of the house. So I'll see you then?_

The large grin that went from ear to ear on Anna's face would _not _go down. She couldn't contain her excitement much longer, it was this amazing feeling washing over her in unrelenting waves that just made her want to squeal with joy. Elsa was going to come see her! At her concert! This was like a dream, it had to be. No way could things have ever turned out this perfectly, someone had to be watching over her or something.

In her state of bliss, she realized that it was probably a good idea to actually reply to Elsa's text. And to get out of the bathroom before her friends send out a search party.

_Anna: of course :) and thanks again!_

As she practically skipped out of the stall, oblivious to how dirty and run down the rest of the room was and how relieved her friends felt with their pseudo-interrogation about where she had been this whole time, another thought crossed her mind that lifted up her spirits higher than she had thought possible.

In Elsa's last text, she didn't say "we'll see you then".

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, uh...just a quick disclaimer here I don't actually _know _how 14 year olds text. So if this is completely wrong, then I apologize. I'm sorry I'm not the leading expert on preteen texting practices. **

**Ooh, and also don't think that I'm just sweeping the whole Anna/Elise thing under the rug, no there's still more to come from these two. Elise still serves a purpose here and I absolutely will not tell you what that purpose is.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

It was 7 PM on a Friday night and instead of studying for midterms, or going to another party that totally wouldn't end as terribly as the last one, or just staying at home in her pajamas watching Netflix, Elsa was with her sister going to a high school jazz band concert. And to be honest, there was nothing else she would rather do.

"You know there are other things that I'd rather be doing right now."

Elise scoffed at her sister who lagged behind, glancing back with a skeptical look, "Like what? Staying in your room all night, marathoning another show?"

Her finger went up to refute that point before realizing there was nothing to refute, "Shut up."

The auditorium was abuzz with parents conversing about how proud of their child they were and how they were totally going to be a star one day, just you wait. Several students had sat in the back or around the sides, eyes fixed on their phone screens or giggling with their friends about something unimportant. The stage itself was devoid of life except for a few rows of chairs and stands that were set up. There was a large piano set up to the left and a drum set to the right, the shimmering black and red catching Elsa's eye.

_Anna is going to be sitting right there._

"Ooh, Elsa! Let's go sit in the front, come on!" Elise said as she walked over, waving to people that immediately recognized her.

Up front? No that wouldn't do, they...well she wouldn't get a good enough view. To her left, conveniently, was a row with more than enough empty chairs and it gave her the perfect vantage point she needed. Perfect and precise eye contact with the only person she was really here for.

"Er, uh wait! Why don't we sit right here?"

Elise turned around and tilted her head as she watched her sister gesture to the seats that were a lot farther than she was expecting. "But why? Wouldn't we hear better if we sat up front?"

"It's a live concert, Elise. Pretty sure you'll be able to hear it from anywhere." Elsa replied as she mulled over which seat to sit on was truly the best.

"Okay so...why can't we just sit in the front then if that's the case?" her sister reasoned.

"Can't hear you over the sound of me sitting down."

Elise rolled her eyes and followed her older sister's lead, "Ugh fine."

There was a program laying abandoned on the floor with bright and colorful lettering, signifying how this indeed was the "Arendelle High School Jazz Night". On one page was a list of people in the actual band. Most of the names didn't really ring a bell, and Elise didn't really know who many of them were either. One person had a first name listed as "Stitch"; Elsa didn't even question why. But of course there was one name in particular that _did _stand out. The black lettering sent shock waves tingling down her spine and made her stomach flip mercilessly, reminding her for the millionth time why she was there.

"Psst, do you know any of the songs on this paper?" Elise whispered.

On the other side was a list of songs with their composers. The names may as well have been written in another language because she was drawing a blank on every single one of them. In The Mood? Take Five? Birdland? She was so damn uncultured, it was ridiculous.

"No idea." Elsa replied, "Only jazz songs I know are from that one time we watched Whiplash."

Elsa may as well have said that she had killed her parents because the look her sister gave was fraught with frightening shock, "Oh god why did you make me watch that movie again?! It was so scary and uncomfortable..."

She shrugged, "Well what can I say? I'm a sucker for things that are scary and uncomfortable."

"Really? Cause I remember you having this whole irrational fear about spiders."

"Shhhhh, we don't speak of that _ever_."

"Ooh, there's a song called 'All Of Me' on here! Do you think-"

"No I'm pretty sure it's not the John Legend one."

It was then that the lights across the auditorium dimmed, the conversations died down, and all eyes were set on the stage.

* * *

Anna had never really been nervous before a performance. All in all, it was just a matter of going out there, putting on a show and hearing an applause. Because there was always going to be an applause. No matter how many wrong notes, missed entrances, misplaced beats, or other assorted mistakes there were, the universal signal of a good job would always be there. So with that in mind, nervousness about all that was basically thrown out the window. All that used to matter was getting into that zone and putting on a show worth talking about.

Well all that was before there was someone in the audience she so desperately wanted to impress.

Backstage, while everyone else was busy warming up and psyching themselves up for what was sure to be an amazing concert, Anna had found a space empty enough to pace back and forth. She slapped her drumsticks against her palm in time with her steps, going over every count off, every solo, every tempo, every bit of feeling in the music just to make sure _everything_ would be perfect. Today was different, she couldn't make any mistakes. Because _somehow _Elsa would _obviously _know when she did, and would probably think lowly of a drummer who couldn't even play all her songs she had been learning for months perfectly, and then she would shun her forever and never want to talk to her and oh god that would be like the worst nightmare!

"Hey! Anna! Are you alright?"

There was a tug on her shoulder and next thing she knew she was face to face with a guy in a dark blue tuxedo that more than matched his hair color of the same shade.

"Stitch, hey! Yeah yeah I'll be fine, don't worry about me." Anna assured him.

"You're not gonna throw up, are you?" Stitch asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No! Look trust me, I'm gonna be fine. Just wanna make sure everything is perfect tonight, is all."

Even in her minuscule group of friends, only one was actually performing with her tonight. Violet was more of a fan of the classical genre and jazz pretty much baffled her. Playing something without a set melody or rhythm? Nonsense. And Lilo, while in the audience, just didn't find much appeal in performing jazz in the first place. Yeah she had an appreciation for it but just never really got into the performing aspect. It was a shame, she would have been an amazing addition to this band.

But luckily Stitch was here, and his off brand of reassurance was actually helping to distract from the lights soon dimming and their director's voice echoing across the room that it was showtime. He leaned on a wall and smiled cheekily at the disarranged redhead.

"Ooooh okay, I think I know what this is about." Which he obviously didn't. "Hey if you wanna switch out and let me close out with Birdland, just say the word."

Anna shoved the boy's shoulder as he chuckled, "Oh shut up, if you wanted that part so bad then maybe you should have won that game of rock-paper-scissors."

"Literally everyone I know picks rock first!" Stitch said while throwing his arms up in the air, "You're the only person I know who chooses scissors!"

"Alright everyone, it's showtime!"

There it was. The signal, the final message that told Anna that whether or not she was ready was now an afterthought. The rest of the band lined up and made their way out to the front of the stage, Stitch gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder before she got to her spot. Behind the drum set always felt like a home away from home for her, but today it was as if some seat inside of a zoo exhibit; she being the animal gazed upon from behind glass windows as they took in her every moment, every gesture, and of course every mistake.

As their director welcomed the audience and thanked everyone for coming out, Anna busied herself by straightening her chair, adjusting the height, making sure her music was in the right order, basically anything that wasn't looking out into the audience. There would be a time for that later, but not now. Especially not when they were about to play.

In The Mood was up first, and luckily it was one piece that didn't rely on her really starting off. The saxophones played their pickup and all that was on her mind was syncing up her hits to the horns that were about to come in with their entrance. First hit, second hit, by the third hit she was feeling everything. The beats, the tempo, the rhythm, the feel of the song. Now it was only just a matter of keeping that swing going, never slowing down or messing up because without her then...well they would just be lost. At the end of the last solo, the tiniest shreds of anxiousness that were left had been shed off. Now there was nothing but her and the music.

The applause obviously was expected, but Anna wasn't focused on that. Take Five was always trouble ever since they had first read it. Five beats in a measure instead of four? May as well have killed her now. This was a song that would heavily rely on the full attention of her to keep everyone together, so it was a _really _good thing that she felt like she could do no wrong tonight. The cymbal and snare set the pace, waiting for the piano to kick in as well as the saxophone. Which meant for a few short moments, it was just Anna. Her hands moved across the kit with such precise and calculated movements that complemented the stern face she was wearing well. Being so in the moment yet at the same time trying to keep herself grounded put Anna in this musical limbo, some sort of out of body experience as she just felt the music pumping through her. And in that alarming amount of immersion, she was very lucky that she had the wherewithal to look up and realize the song was coming to a close. A few measures later and it was done.

Her part, for now, was over.

* * *

From the surprising skill level of a high school jazz band, to the quality of the music itself, and to the unfairly cute button down shirt and pants that Anna had donned that night, there was no doubt about it: Elsa was completely floored. Stunned speechless, she was glad her sister was there to act as her voice for the evening.

"Oh my god, this is soooooo much better than I thought!" Elise squealed.

Elsa nodded, mouth trying to find the right words to even begin to describe what she was seeing and hearing. The moment was so entrancing that she barely noticed the person now on the drum set was definitely _not _Anna.

Having not inspected the program very well, she leaned over to her sister and whispered, "Uh...where did Anna go?"

Elise shrugged, "I dunno, taking a break? I mean there's two drummers on the program so this must be the other guy."

"Oh..."

_She's all alone backstage, you should totally sneak out and, ahem, congratulate her._

Before she could even think about acting on that impulse, the piano started off with a beautiful melody that got their attention back on to the stage.

Elsa sighed softly, hopefully that wouldn't be the last time she saw Anna tonight.

* * *

There was a water cooler backstage which the redhead had made her temporary home for the time being. Her fingers tapped to the beat of the song that was playing on stage at the moment as she downed cup after cup like she was a fish.

She bounced on her toes and grooved along to the muffled background, well...foreground music. With her part two-thirds done, she could finally allow herself a bit of breathing room. For a little while anyway. With the applause dying down and the sound of a latin shuffle-like feel being played by the drums, she knew that one more song and it was time to get back on stage.

The final song, more so than the rest, had to be absolutely perfect. When it came to showcasing her abilities, this would be the truest test of tonight. Not a single beat out of place, not a single measure missed, not one hit or kick out of line, she wouldn't allow herself any of that.

Because things needed to be perfect. For her. And for the one person she wanted to impress the most.

God, when was the last time she had ever been this uptight and critical about her performance?

Before she knew it, there was even more applause which meant it was about that time to finally get back behind the curtain and get back into that performing mindset again.

The last note of Stitch's last song tonight rang through the auditorium, hovering over the room before fading away into the sound of the audience. He sighed and gave Anna a wink and pat on the shoulder, it was her show again.

With a quick adjustment of the seat and a shuffling around of the sheet music, Anna was fully prepared. Birdland was a song that had been religiously played through her phone, laptop, basically anything that could make sound for the past few weeks. She knew the entire song by heart and did her best to mimic the same drumming style on the record. Their director looked right at her with a smile and a nod before counting her in.

The piece started off with a pickup from Anna herself who would set the tone for the entire piece before the trumpets, who were going to be the biggest feature, could even come in. A blaring entrance from the horns got the audience's attention in a hurry. After such an exclamatory entrance, the piece settled into its jazz fusion feel, with Anna at the helm keeping the bright tempo steady.

Halfway through the piece she realized that she hadn't looked out in the audience at all. So during the solo section, that's what she finally did. Of course there was her mother right in the middle of the surprisingly packed auditorium with her camera, smiling proudly at her daughter. She returned the smile with one of her own before shifting her gaze to the left, which caused her to nearly drop her sticks.

Elsa was here. She had actually showed up. _And she was right in her line of sight. _And for all Anna knew, she had probably been there the whole time, just right where she could see her if she had just looked up once earlier that night.

And now that Anna knew this, something had clicked inside of her. A switch that went from acting like a total buffoon and forgetting everything she had ever learned about drumming ever, to a side that told her to practically play her heart out.

This realization timed amazingly well with the end of the solo section of the piece and now it was time to bring it home. An intensity washed over her that she had never felt before, the softer dynamics were precise and controlled, like someone had lowered the volume on a radio. And when it came to being loud, she was basically Buddy Rich in a 14 year old girl's body.

And it wasn't surprising at all when the final note sounded, the big finale was played, and the audience jumped to their feet and gave her the loudest applause she had ever heard in her life.

Obviously Elsa needed to start coming to more of her concerts.

* * *

With eyes brimming with pride and fascination, and mouth curled into the widest grin she had ever formed, Elsa had told herself the exact same thing.

The band took a bow while the audience clapped for what seemed like hours. Her hands would no doubt be very sore in the morning.

"Thank you all for coming out!" the band director, Elsa was assuming, had spoken in the microphone. "These amazing students will be given a few minutes to say hi to everyone they brought before I have to steal them away again to clean up the stage."

The auditorium was once again buzzing with activity as students made their way down the stage, being greeted by friends and family who sung their praises and told them over and over again how good of a job they had done.

"Come on Elsa, let's go!" Elise tugged on her sister's wrist as she led them both towards the stage; towards Anna, who had the most relieved smile on her face as she sat contently on her chair. The bouquet was still safely nestled in Elsa's arms.

The two sisters maneuvered across the stage and as soon as there was an opening they rushed over to greet Anna. Elise practically pounced on the unsuspecting girl, gripping her in a tight hug.

"Oh my god Anna you were amazing!" she exclaimed, "Like wow, you...and then the drums...and then the playing...and just..._wow_!"

"Oof, hey Elise! Thank you." Anna tried to return the intensity of the hug, but was no match for the blonde's overactive enthusiasm.

Elsa stood silently, cursing her lack of initiative and boldness and waiting eagerly for her chance to make her presence known. Teal eyes looking gratefully back at hers was enough of a sign to realize she wouldn't have to wait too long.

_Alright now just say something that isn't so...you._

"My sister's right, you were..." _Outstanding, beautiful, stunning, the greatest thing your ears have ever had the privilege of listening to. _"...great."

"Gee you guys, thanks. That really means a lot." Anna looked away from the two as her cheeks turned red.

_Ugh, just give her the flowers you idiot._

She held out the bouquet in her arms as Elise pulled away. "Ahem, this is from me and Elise by the way. I mean I paid for it so technically it's from me but-"

"Hey! I was the one that actually chose the flowers." her sister frowned.

Before they could get into another sisterly spat over this, they heard a gasp and suddenly the flowers were no longer in Elsa's hand. "These are for me? Oh my god, thank you! Really! No one's actually ever given me flowers after a performance before..."

The pure elation on Anna's face as she held the bouquet in her arms and took in the scent caused Elsa to almost feel the same way. It was as if her happiness was contagious.

But Elsa being, well, Elsa...she couldn't really leave well enough alone. There always had to be something that bothered her. Really now, who gives flowers after a high school jazz concert? That just seems silly.

"Are you sure this is alright? I mean I'm not sure if people are even _supposed _to give flowers after something like this or not cause, you know, I've never actually been to these kinda concerts before."

"No no, it's fine. Trust me. This was really nice of you guys to give me this. And to, you know, actually come out." Anna stood up off her chair and smiled at the pair.

"Of course." Elsa started absentmindedly, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

She wasn't entirely sure where in the hell that came from and was immediately about to correct herself, maybe replace the "I" with "we" to save face. But with the tiny gasp that escaped from the younger girl's lips, the lower of which she bit gently, accompanied by the cutest smile Elsa had ever laid eyes on, she decided that maybe it was best to let the comment linger instead.

The moment, unfortunately, was cut short by her sister. "I thought you said you had other things you'd rather be doing tonight?"

_God dammit, Elise._

"Uh, ahem...well y-yeah, but that was before...you know...before all this." Elsa gestured to the stage and to Anna specifically, an implication she hoped her sister wouldn't understand.

"Mmhmm." Elise butted in between the two, "Please excuse my sister, she can be a real dork sometimes."

"It's okay, I know she means well." Anna giggled.

"Hey, there's my girl!" they heard a voice exclaim from behind them.

_Their girl? Oh god, no please don't tell me._

The same eagerness that Anna had shown Elsa was back again but it wasn't aimed at her this time. As the redhead moved away from the two, her mind was a wreck as it began to spin all this information into its own interpretation.

_Fuck, you should have known this might have happen. That Anna was with someone else, didn't even give _that _a single thought now did you? You are such an idiot, this is what you get for trying._

Already convincing herself that Anna was now a lost cause, she turned around to see a much taller and much older gentleman embracing the girl with another older woman smiling proudly, one hand on the man's shoulder and the other trying her best to give Anna the same kind of hug.

_Or, you know, he could have just been her dad. I hate you so much sometimes._

With her mind pulling itself out of the mess it had made itself she realized that the man had started to grow increasingly familiar. The brown hair, the smile, and the most obvious sign which was his suit and tie. Anna's father was the band director.

"You did amazing out there, sweetie. We're so proud of you." the woman who Elsa assumed was Anna's mother said encouragingly.

Elise took to her sister's side and leaned in towards her, "Psst, you think that's our cue to get outta here?"

_I hope not._

"Hmm, how come?" Elise asked curiously.

_Crap, did I say that out loud?_

"Oh, and who are these Anna? Your friends?" the man questioned, saving Elsa from trying to come up with a save of her own.

Still by her dad's side, she waved her arm towards the sisters and introduced them, "Yes actually! This is Elise, and her older sister Elsa."

"Are you the two that gave our daughter these wonderful flowers?" the woman said as she inspected the bouquet with a smile that she must have passed down to Anna herself.

"That's us!" Elise spoke cheerfully. "Your daughter has been tutoring me for a bit now and let me tell you she's just as amazing at math as she is on the drums."

Anna's parents chuckled, taking kindly to Elise's attempt at a first impression.

"Thank you, and it's always nice to see Anna making new friends." the man said, turning his attention towards Elsa with a raised yet justified eyebrow, "Elsa, is it? I don't think I've seen you around this school, do you go here?"

_Oh god, Anna's dad is talking to you. Okay just play it cool, don't fuck this up. And don't even once mention how much you have the hots for their daughter._

"Me? Oh no, I graduated last year and go to the university now. My sister just needed a ride and I thought I might as well tag along." Elsa said, waiting with baited breath for a response.

Anna's father nodded, "Well then it's nice to meet you as well, Elsa. I hope you enjoyed the concert."

"Absolutely! You are running an amazing jazz band here, sir. I had a wonderful time."

And with that she finally got a smile out of the man and subtly let out her breath as he continued, "Thank you! But I can't take much of the credit, it's because of players like Anna here that make this band something special." He placed his hands on top of his daughter's hair and ruffled it between his fingers.

"Daaaaaad stooooop!" Anna pouted.

_Ugh, it should be illegal for anyone to be this adorable._

Her father let out a booming laugh as he let go of Anna and patted her back, "I love you too, honey. Now come on, pack up so we can get out of here."

Anna walked back to her drum set and Elise, completely swept up in the moment anyway, walked over to the two adults and continued her speech on how their daughter was basically the best person ever.

"Psst, Elsa. You wanna help me out?"

Elsa's ears perked up as she turned around and looked at the redhead smiling while loosening a screw. It was an enticing invitation and she wanted so badly to pounce at the opportunity, but she had to rein herself in. After all, they weren't exactly alone.

"You sure?" Elsa asked as she ran a finger across a cymbal. "I mean I don't want to break anything."

"Oh pssh, you won't break anything. Now here, can you get that for me and just follow me backstage?" Anna pointed to a large cylinder shaped drum that sat next to her. Not wanting to protest any longer in case the girl rescinded her request, she picked it up, noting how it was a lot less heavier than it looked.

The two walked backstage as Elise kept the parents occupied.

The farther they walked through the dark and vast area behind the stage, the more Elsa realized something: They were all alone. And as risky as it was to do so, she could say anything to this girl without having to worry about anyone overhearing them.

"You really were amazing out there, you know?" she started.

_Oh come on, you could have thought of something at least a _little _better._

Anna, who had been carrying another pair of drums that were much smaller than hers, looked back and grinned, "Thank you, seriously. And thank you for coming, that was pretty cool of you."

"No problem." Elsa followed her lead as she placed the drums down inside of a closet. "And don't believe Elise's lies, I actually _did _want to come tonight."

The younger girl laughed, "Oh no, I believe you. Don't worry."

_You are all alone. Inside of a closet. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Don't freak out and don't fuck up. _

Her heart was racing now as she put down her drum and decided her next move. Which would be...what? There had to be something she could do in this short amount of time together. And who knew how long Elise could keep that unintended distraction going. Someone could walk in at any time and ruin everything if she didn't act now.

"Alright you ready to get some more stuff?" Anna asked as she walked back towards the door Elsa was standing next to.

_Do something!_

Without thinking, she stopped Anna where she stood by placing her hands back on her shoulders, staring into eyes that looked up at her.

"Elsa?" the younger girl said innocently.

"Before...before we go back I just want to say..." Elsa tried to calm her mind, focusing only on this moment. On the way Anna looked right now, with no fear or confusion. Just pure curiosity, almost eagerness even, to see where this was going. "I just wanted to say...I..."

_Fuck it._

Elsa cupped one of Anna's cheeks into the palm of her hand, pulling the girl in closer for a kiss that said everything she wanted to say.

* * *

**A/N: Well that escalated quickly.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

After almost an eternity, with burning calves and lungs working overtime, Elsa finally caught up with her insanely athletic friend who had busied herself by stretching underneath a tree.

She knelt forward with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

"Oh good, you finally caught up." Mulan said as if they hadn't just jogged like three miles to an almost empty park.

"You're...insane...you know that?" Elsa panted.

"Says the girl who called me up at 6 AM on a Saturday morning asking if I was busy."

"Says...the girl who...actually _was _up at 6 AM...on a Saturday morning."

The cloudy gray sky mixed with the faint breeze, at any other time, would have felt refreshing, even therapeutic. But Elsa was so occupied with catching her breath that the beauty was lost on her. She leaned back on an unlit streetlight, giving one last big exhale.

Her friend shrugged, "I'm always awake at this time anyway."

"Again, insane."

Mulan gave a smug grin and placed a hand on her hips, "Insane _and _in shape, thank you very much."

This was...exceptionally true. The dark-haired girl wore black yoga pants that wrapped around her figure well, with a sky blue tank top that left nothing to the imagination. The way her arm bent to place her hand on her hips revealed these well-toned muscles all across her arms, in fact her whole body was just unbelievably littered with muscles in places Elsa didn't even know someone could get muscles in. Hell, underneath that shirt was probably a marvelous set of abs that-

_Stop checking out your friend, you fucking pervert. God what would Anna think?_

Anna.

Anna Anna Anna.

The one name that had made her feel something she hadn't felt in a long time. It left her into this incomprehensible mess of emotions ranging from sheer bliss to pure uncertainty and frustration. It also made her unable to get any sleep at all last night. And damn it all, the reason she was out here in the first place was to clear her head and get away from that name.

Mulan sat down cross-legged on the grass underneath her, "So I'm just gonna take a wild guess here and say you didn't come here cause you like running."

Elsa nodded and followed her lead, "You would be correct."

"Then what's up?" her friend asked as she scooted closer.

"Erm, it's uh..."

_You should just tell her, she'll probably understand._

And she probably would, but the fact is that Elsa came here for a distraction. Not to gush over another chapter of her fucked up life. She could totally resolve all this by herself...right?

"It's..."

_Tell her, oh my god._

"It's nothing."

_I hate you._

"Mmhmm, sure it is." Mulan said unconvinced. "Come on now, Elsa. Do I need to remind you of the whole being here for you speech and how you can come to me for anything?"

"No no, I know you mean well really. But..." Elsa hesitated, "...no I just came here for a distraction, nothing more. I don't want to get you roped in this."

"Are you dealing drugs?" Mulan whispered.

"Worse." she replied bluntly.

"You're _doing _drugs?!"

"No! No drugs! This isn't about drugs, goddammit! It's..." she sighed, finally conceding in the fact that she honestly couldn't figure this out by herself, "Alright fine! I'll tell you."

* * *

After endless tossing and turning which resulted in her blanket and pillows strewn all across her bedroom floor, Anna finally admitted mentally the obvious truth: There was no way she was ever going to get any sleep tonight.

And a peek at her alarm clock that read 6:32 AM in glowing neon green told her that it wasn't even night anymore. How long had she been lounging on her bed anyway? Hours? It sure felt like that.

She brushed a finger over her lips, reminding her of the reason why she couldn't go to sleep anyway. It had been a good 9 or so hours since the concert had ended but she could still remember it as if it had only been a few short minutes ago.

Her heart was racing just thinking about it and there were butterflies in her stomach whenever she closed her eyes and remembered. This feeling was so exciting, something she had never felt before and it was so welcoming and fascinating that it made her want to scream into her pillow with delight. So she did. Even with the fluffy fabric used as a muffle, she was scared that the scream was loud enough to be overheard. And the last thing she needed was for her dad to check up on her again while she was doing something unexplainable.

With great joy, she relived that wonderful night one more time in her mind.

It had all happened so fast. One minute she was busy putting her drums away and the next Elsa's arms were on her shoulders, taking an agonizingly long time to say whatever it is she wanted to say.

Just like with their earlier encounters, Anna was setting herself up for painful yet realistic disappointment as to where the older girl was going with this.

Maybe it was just another form of congratulations for putting on quite possibly the best show she's ever put on, or maybe she was going to say thanks again for helping Elise.

Her mind was frantically sifting through every sort of rational possibility and explanation, and when those lips connected with hers it abruptly shut off. Replaced instead by a jolt down her spine, a jump start on her heart that quickened its pace, and the basic instinct to shut her eyes and enjoy this dream turned into reality.

It was surprising, amazing, electrifying, but above all it was confirmation. The one thing she so desperately wanted was the confirmation that these feelings were mutual, that Elsa felt the exact same way about her. And if that wasn't enough, not only was this her first kiss, but it was her first kiss _with _the girl she always thought was hopelessly unattainable. This was all too good to be true, but the way Elsa's soft lips were on hers told her that it definitely was.

There was a hand on her cheek, and another that had somehow traveled from her shoulder to her waist. Anna couldn't help herself, she sighed into the kiss, reveling in the moment that she wished would never end.

And sadly it did; she felt Elsa pull them apart and silently caught her breath. Unable to speak, she scanned the older girl's face to try and see what was going on in her head. It was hard, with her mind failing her right now she could only gather one unsure reaction from Elsa, which was patience. She was waiting patiently, maybe even eagerly, for Anna's response to what she had just done.

"Elsa, I..." she couldn't finish.

What she wanted so badly to say was how it felt amazing, how it was exactly what she was hoping for but never really expected, how it was even better than she could imagine, but...nothing. The kiss had legitimately rendered her speechless. So if words wouldn't help her, then actions were the only way to go.

Without giving it a second thought, Anna stood up on her toes, cupped Elsa's cheek and returned the kiss with the same amount of passion.

Or at least tried to.

Before their lips could come together again, she heard her dad's voice calling out from somewhere backstage. "Anna, you alright?"

Instinctively, she pulled away and cleared her throat, finally finding her voice again, "Er, uh...yeah dad! I'll be over there in a second!"

"Alright, just checking! Make sure to hurry up though, will you?"

"I will!"

She sighed as the footsteps grew increasingly muted, waiting for the two to finally be alone again to go back to where they left off.

But when Anna turned around, Elsa was already gone.

* * *

"Wait, you just _left_?!" Mulan exclaimed.

"I...yes?"

"Why?! Why would you do that?! She was going to kiss you!"

Elsa was stunned to say the least. Of all the things she had just told Mulan, who had been listening curiously and intently this whole time, the fact that she had left last night without saying a word was what finally garnered a reaction. In all honesty it was kind of frustrating.

"I don't-why is _that _the one thing that's bugging you the most?! Did you not just hear what I said? I like a _14 year old_!"

"A 14 year old that was _totally about to kiss you!_"

"Ugh, would you please just lay off on that?! That's not what's important here." Elsa groaned.

Mulan, who could finally sense her frustration, backed off on her ribbing. Obviously there was something here that she was missing. "Alright fine, then please tell me what this _is _actually all about. Cause it sounds to me like you're all mopey about missing your chance."

"The problem isn't that I missed my chance, Mulan. The problem is that I took it in the first place." the disheartened blonde corrected.

"Uh...what do you mean?"

_How is she still not getting this?!_

"Anna is 4 years younger than me! She's a freshman! In _high school_! And I'm a freshman in _college_! God, I must be sick or something. I'm a complete pedo, a freak." Elsa buried her face in her hands as she voiced the concerns that had been festering in her mind. As irrational as they may have been, it still hurt. She could feel tears about to form in her eyes.

She felt a hand rub her back comfortingly and her friend begin to speak, "Oh Elsa. Poor, innocent, misguided Elsa."

Elsa let her hands drop back into her lap and looked at Mulan confused, "Wh-what?"

"You my friend are looking way too much into this little problem you've formed in your head."

"But I-" Elsa was interrupted when a finger hovered directly over her lips.

"Don't you realize how young _you _are too? You're 18, you could still legitimately pass for a senior in high school. And do you know how many senior-freshman relationships there were then?"

"I-I'm assuming there weren't a l-"

"Tons of them. Like holy crap it was almost worrying how many seniors were dating these itty bitty freshmen. Er, no offense."

Elsa frowned but didn't reply.

"Anyway, you really shouldn't feel this bad about the age gap because, well, it honestly isn't _that_ bad. You like her and it sure as hell sounds like she likes you too. So there's like...literally nothing stopping you from making this work."

Mulan had brought up some excellent points, with her logic trumping Elsa's in more ways than one. She sighed, "Yeah...yeah you're right."

"I mean if you were planning on doing her, then that's an entirely different story and something you and I should _absolutely _talk about." She squinted, "You're not planning on doing her, are you?"

Elsa shook her head so hard she swore she could see stars, "NO! Absolutely not! That thought has _never_..."

_Well now that she mentions it..._

She frantically pushed that thought away before it could finish.

The dark-haired girl chuckled, "I'm just messing with you, but can you see now that this isn't such a big deal?"

"I-I do, yeah. I'm sorry, I guess I was just being stupid."

"Eh, it happens."

"But what should I do now?" Elsa questioned, hoping that her friend actually had a good answer.

Mulan let out a breath before starting, "Well the way I see it Elsa, you got two options. You either call her up and sort things out with her now, see where the both of you stand and all that and see if you can make it work. _Or _if you're still so unsure about the age difference...then ask her if she can wait a few years till it's perfectly okay for you to date her and all that."

"Um, how many years?"

"Hell I'd go on the safe side and wait till she's like 17 or 18."

"Three years? I-I'm not sure if I can wait that long..." Elsa stated anxiously.

"Well then I think you've got your answer now, don't you?" Mulan said with a smirk. "Now come on, it's gonna get bright soon we should probably head back now. That is, if you're up for it."

Elsa sat up and looked around a park, there wasn't a single car or another person in sight. Although she felt that might change fairly soon. "I don't think I have much of a choice now, do I?"

"Not even a little bit. Now come on!"

Her friend bounded off the grass, making her way back onto the sidewalk and back home.

Elsa definitely did have her answer. She took her phone out of her pocket and stared at the screen which showed the time was 7:15 AM.

_At least give her a bit of time to wake up first, yeesh._

She put the phone back in her pocket and followed her friend who seemed like a mile away already.

The breeze felt calming as she ran.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah yeah, there isn't much of what you'd call plot in this one and it's more dialogue than anything. Don't worry the story will pick up again pretty soon.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

It was already 8:30 in the morning by the time Elsa had gotten back home. The sun was beating down on her mercilessly, signaling an unfairly hot day ahead of her and she was eternally grateful that there was nothing else on the agenda for the rest of it.

Well, almost nothing.

_No you jerk, it's still too early. Just go occupy yourself with something._

Her stomach was growling like a lion itching for a kill, but she had to ignore it for a little bit. There was one thing that needed to be done that kind of preceded the other thing.

She could hear footsteps shuffling around her sister's room which was a disappointment, really. There went her genius plan to wake up Elise involving a blow dryer and her sweaty t-shirt, which was getting increasingly uncomfortable by the second. The sounds of soothing acoustic music and a gorgeous female voice greeted her ears as soon as Elsa opened the door, followed by her sister stopping her Saturday morning ritual of cleaning up a week's worth of mess. She grimaced while taking in her older sister's drenched appearance, "Yeesh, you look like you just ran a marathon."

Elsa shrugged, "More or less."

_Yeah you don't even know how long a marathon is._

Elise continued her work around the room and giggled, "So what is this? You trying to finally get your New Year's resolution going?"

"Oh please, you know that my resolution was to eat less chocolate."

"And how's that going for you?" her sister said as she picked up more of her laundry.

"Great." she lied.

And of course being the good little sister that she was, Elise saw right through her. She shook her head and grinned, "You are such a bad liar. Anyway, what do you want?"

Elise's straightforwardness was something that Elsa always kind of admired, but right now it was a real pain. So much for casual conversation. Her heart was racing now as she thought of just how exactly to word what it is she needed to say. But just in case, "Oh c-come on now, sis. I can't just waltz in your r-"

"No you can't! I know you too well, remember?" Elise shouted from inside her walk-in closet.

Yup, there was no way of getting out of this now. She landed gracelessly onto her sister's bed with a loud sigh. "You seem busy, maybe I'll just come back another time it's cool."

"Swear to god Elsa if you don't tell me I'll just assume you're on drugs and tell mom and dad."

"What is it with everyone and thinking I'm on drugs or something?!" Elsa groaned as she smacked her palms across her forehead.

Elise finally finished up with the last bit of cleaning she had to do and laid down with her exasperated sister, "Then what's up? Unless it actually is-"

"Uugh, it's not okay?! Just...okay fine, just hear me out here."

"I am literally all ears right now." her sister smiled, oblivious to the completely wrong usage of the word "literally."

This was going to be tough, but if she was so dead set on making her and Anna work, then this was an absolute must for her right now. With another heavy sigh, she decided on what would be the first thing to actually say: "So...you remember all those favors you owe me, right?"

She rolled her eyes, "As if I can forget, I mean you always tell me how many I owe you every time you come to pick me up."

Elsa nodded anxiously before continuing, "Yeah see I'm gonna need to cash in like...all of them...right now."

And of course, this raised many questions as well as concerns from her younger sister who sat up and squinted at that request, "What do you need exactly?"

"Your silence...and your cooperation." she replied nervously.

Elise gasped and brought a hand over her mouth, "You killed someone and need me to help hide their body!"

_Wow, why do you even try to tell people this stuff?_

It was Elsa's turn to sit up as she stared in disbelief, "What?! No! It's something entirely different and less...murdery. Now will you please listen?"

"Oookay..." Elise said, somehow still cautious about what her older sister needed.

"Alright, so...here's the thing." Her hands were cold and clammy now, and her heart was beating so fast that it was actually giving her a headache. But she had to block all that out if this was ever. "After the concert yesterday...I kissed Anna."

Her sister shifted from her mouth opening and closing like she was going to say something, to a look of surprise, to a combination of confusion somehow mixed with total clarity. Basically everything that wasn't a look of disgust that Elsa was for some reason still expecting even after having this almost exact same conversation with Mulan a couple hours ago. After an agonizingly long time of this shifting of faces, Elise finally spoke up. "Wow so...you like Anna?"

Elsa nodded sheepishly, "E-ever since that day when I, you know, bumped into her."

"Wow." she repeated.

_God, just say something else! Please! You're killing me here._

"That actually explains some things."

_Wait...what?_

"I mean..." Elise continued before letting her smitten sister speak up again, "like one of the first things Anna asked me about was you which I thought was kinda weird. Then when I would actually bring you up she'd get all weird and stuff, like it was totally unlike her whole badass tutor self. And that obviously explains why you were so weird last night. Just...yeah, this explains a lot really."

"Wow, first Mulan then you." Elsa said under her breath.

"So then why did you need me again? To see if I was okay with this? Cause I'm telling you right now, your age gap isn't that extr-"

"Yeah I-I know, I already got this speech earlier." she interrupted. "And it's still hard for me to accept but...well maybe you guys have a point. But that's not what I needed you for."

The hard part was done now, thankfully. Or at least the first half of the hard part. And even though Elise was surprisingly supportive of her sister's crush on her friend, there was no telling how she would react to this next bit.

Elsa cleared her throat, "I, uh...I'm going to need to use you as an excuse to keep seeing her."

There was obvious awkward silence that came after that, no way she would actually just jump on board with that idea. "Um...what?" Elise questioned.

"Well like..." she continued, trying to actually add logic to this request, "I'm not entirely sure how open her parents will be to her dating an 18 year old so- you know, just in case we start dating and stuff- I need you to be like the cover story for me. Like pretend you two are hanging out when it's really me and Anna and I'm just now realizing how stupid this all sounds."

"Elsa, this is..."

_Fucking stupid? The worst idea she's ever heard? Downright creepy?  
_

"_..._adorable!"

Before she could react, a pair of arms clamped down on her eagerly followed by a loud squeal. And as strange as this reaction was, she had taken this as an amazing sign that her sister was completely on board.

"But no, I'm not gonna do that."

Or not.

"What, why not?" the thoroughly confused blonde questioned.

Her seemingly unpersuaded sister shook her head, "Oh Elsa, you act like this age gap doesn't bother you but I can tell that it still really does. So if you're really serious about this, if you like Anna this much that it eats at you this badly, then you can't ask me to be your little 'Get Out Of Jail Free' card when you want to do something with her."

"I..." Elsa started before realizing that Elise had brought up some stunningly good points. She groaned, "Goddammit, you're right. I have to do this shit myself."

"I can already tell that Anna's gonna be super happy when you ask her out, though." her sister said reassuringly.

Elsa couldn't help the giddy little chuckle that escaped her lips at the idea of Anna's cheery voice saying how she would love to go out with her. There was a goofy smile on her face as she pulled out her phone again, "I really hope so, I mean I kinda have to make up for last night anyway when I walked out as she was about to kiss me back."

"You did what?!"

* * *

There was nothing quite like the smell of waffles on a Saturday morning. Even if Anna hadn't slept a wink last night, this was almost enough to wake her up. Almost. The lack of sleep was really doing a number on her.

Still, coming downstairs to see her parents smiling and talking while a stack of waffles waited in front of an empty chair had to be the greatest- well second greatest- moment of her week.

Her mouth was watering now and her face was affixed with a joyful grin due to more than just the fluffy tower of deliciousness. If this was a Disney movie, she would probably break out into a song right about now.

But instead she settled with a cheery greeting to her parents, "Good morning!"

The two adults shifted their attention to the overjoyed redhead who tried and failed to match her enthusiasm. "Good morning, honey! You seem happy this morning." her dad said.

"Why wouldn't I be? I mean I got an amazing night's sl...sl..." and before she could finish, she let out a loud yawn that blew her cover.

Her mom looked back concerned, "Anna sweetie, how much sleep did you get last night?"

She looked at her parents sheepishly, "Um...not a lot? I'm sorry, I just couldn't get the concert last night out of my head." Which was technically true.

To their credit, they didn't chide Anna anymore for her lack of sleep, instead they actually agreed with her statement. Her dad smiled, "I can't say I don't agree with you on that, you _were _pretty amazing last night."

"Thanks, I _felt _amazing." Which, again, wasn't far from the truth.

"Still that shouldn't stop you from getting some rest. Now come on, march right back up stairs and back into bed."

Anna was conflicted. The only reason she was down here, besides the smell of waffles, was _because _she had given up on sleeping. And since she had already used up her lame excuse that took almost half an hour to come up with, she would have to think up something on the spot in order for her parents to not get suspicious.

"But...waffles." she pouted.

"They'll still be here when you wake up." her mom pointed out with a reassuring smile.

Damn her parents for having an answer for everything. Guess there was nothing left to do but concede defeat and go back to her room only to let Elsa invade her thoughts again every time she closed her eyes.

"Oh but before you go, when were you gonna tell us about Elise?"

Well itt was a good thing Anna's back was already turned, or else they would have seen the curious way her eyes had widened and how they frantically shifted from side to side. "Er, uh...what about her?"

There was a light giggle from her mother who placed a hand on her shoulder. In the same spot that Elsa's had been on last night.

"When were you gonna tell us about you tutoring her? We're proud of you for doing so, but we would have loved it so much more if you had told us yourself."

The way those words were spoken had actually snapped Anna out of her trance and left her feeling almost guilty. Why _didn't _she tell her parents? Oh right cause she was an evil person and kind of only used the whole tutoring excuse to get closer to Elsa.

"I'm sorry, Mom." she replied sincerely. "I guess it just slipped my mind a bunch of times, I was a bit preoccupied."

"And she had a lot of wonderful things to say about you too." her dad added, which was a bit of a surprise. "Hey if I didn't know any better I'd say she had a crush on you." Which was even _more _of a surprise.

She was completely taken aback by this sudden comment for a few reasons. For one, if it wasn't enough that her friends were supportive of the idea that she should be with Elise, now her parents were too. Not to mention, this all just suddenly came out of nowhere. Never had they actually acknowledged her relationship status like this before. Of course they knew her orientation obviously, but this was the first time that they had spoken up about the possibility of her liking someone or someone liking her. It was all just very confusing. And then of course...Elsa. That situation spoke for itself.

Apparently in her state of shock, the two had busied themselves with their ongoing conversation about how cute Anna and Elise would look together and how adorable it was and it was just getting more embarrassing by the second.

"Guys stop!" Anna pleaded with a furious blush on her cheeks.

"Aww c'mon Anna, you know we're just teasing you." her dad laughed.

"But..." her mom started, "that is something your father and I wanted to talk to you about."

And just like that, the lighthearted atmosphere shifted dramatically. Whatever it was, Anna had this sinking feeling that it wouldn't be anything good.

"You're getting older now, I mean you're turning 15 in a few months. And you're getting to this age where...well to put it bluntly you're probably gonna be dating soon. Probably."

Anna raised a cautious eyebrow, wanting to hear where this was going.

"And you know us, you know we would never tell you who to date gender-wise."

She did, and she was always very grateful that her parents were so open minded.

"But we still want to make sure you're dating people that we're okay with."

"Wh-what?"

The hand that was still on her shoulder slipped down to her arm as her mom spoke up. "What your father means is we want you to make sure that you're going to be dating people that won't hurt you or harm you in any way. We care about you honey, and you're growing into a bright young woman and we don't want anything or anyone to ruin that."

"I-I know you guys mean well but-"

"So we set up a rule that we think is perfectly reasonable: No dating anyone we don't know of beforehand _and _they have to go to your school."

And there it was, that impending doom she wanted so badly to avoid. The sinking feeling in her gut grew exponentially and the room became almost muted. Words were being spoken by her mom and dad who were most likely explaining themselves, but Anna couldn't hear a single bit of it. She was too wrapped up in the chaos running rampant in her mind.

Of course, getting away with the "knowing the person beforehand" part of the rule would have been an easy loophole to get past, but it was the school part that would be the real challenge. The worst part is she couldn't even get mad at her parents cause she knew they meant well and just wanted to look out for her, in fact she was more mad at herself than anything. Why did she have to like someone like Elsa? Someone so perfect in every way, so caring and affectionate and so _so _unbelievably unattainable that it hurt. This was beyond unfair, things were going so well and now almost all her hopes had been abruptly snuffed out.

"You understand, right Anna?"

"Huh?" she replied, having barely listened to their words. "Oh, uh...r-right yeah. I understand..."

Still coming down from her woeful trance, she didn't even register the hug that her mom had given her or the comforting pats on the back.

"I'm gonna go back to sleep now, if that's alright." Anna asked, hoping to be alone in order to clear her head.

"Go ahead honey, we'll be here when you wake up." her dad said with a smile that she tried so hard not to get mad over.

The walk back up the stairs was pretty depressing as this feeling of hopelessness had already manifested in her mind, so it was such a relief when her phone went off in her pocket and the ID said "Lilo".

"Hey Lilo, what's up?" Anna spoke, hiding her sulkiness. If there was anyone that could at least distract her from this whole "Elsa" situation, it was her cheery, outspoken friend.

"_Gooood morning, Anna. Imma just cut to the chase here, who was that girl you were with last night?_"

* * *

**A/N: Before you ask, no Elsa doesn't live in this messed up broken household where her parents are never around. To be honest they're not really _that _important to the story so I'm not gonna put much attention on them. **

**Also I just wanna take this time to say holy shit I broke 100 followers. Never thought I'd see the day that that counter went into the triple digits. So I wanna say thanks to each and every one of you who have reviewed or favorited or followed this fic. You're most of the reason I'm still writing it other than the sheer enjoyment I get from writing this story.**

**Anyway enough sappiness from me, I'll make sure to update again soon!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"H-uh...wh-what do you mean?" Anna finally stammered out after letting her friend wallow in silence as she figured out how to react.

"_Yeah! I was waiting for Stitch after the concert and I saw you, well both of you, in the drum closet making out._"

"...oh." she replied, still trying to get her everything back on track to form a coherent answer.

"_I mean yeah I coulda asked after you guys were done but I didn't wanna intrude. Now spill it, who's this mystery girl you haven't told us about?_"

If this was anyone else, someone who Anna had no possible chance of seeing ever again, she would just hang up and actually take the offer on that nap. But no, this was one of her best friends. And more importantly, someone she could trust no matter what. So then...what was the point of keeping this from her?

"Her name is Elsa." Anna confessed. "And she's...Elise's older sister."

Silence.

Followed by more silence.

Followed by even more skeptical silence. Had Lilo hung up on her?

"_W-wow..._" Lilo finally spoke. "_I...that's..._wow_. Her older sister?_"

Anna nodded, forgetting that her friend wasn't actually there. "Yeah..."

"_Wh-what...but...how did you guys even _meet_?!_"

"She bumped into me? It was a couple months ago, I was walking to my locker and we kinda ran into each other."

"_And..._when _were you gonna tell us this?_"

It was hard to really gauge Lilo's reaction without a face to match the voice. Even with the inflections it was unclear whether she was surprised, or pissed off, or even, as unlikely as it was, proud of Anna.

"I was going to tell you _eventually_." she replied honestly. "But...it's just that, you know, you guys were..."

"_Elise..._" her friend spoke, knowing where Anna was working towards.

She nodded again, figuring that Lilo would still sense it.

"_So then...you never liked her?_"

"N-well, I mean...not in _that _way, you know. She's an amazing friend obviously but-"

"_Oh my god, that whole tutoring thing. That was just an excuse to get to Elsa, wasn't it?_"

She sighed, slightly annoyed at how easily the girl had picked up on that. "Yeah, it was."

"_Anna...you _used _her._"

The redhead was taken aback by that statement. While her friend's past emotions through the phone were sketchy, this one was as clear as day. She could feel the justified disgust in Lilo's voice. The shock, and disbelief. And maybe...maybe even anger.

"Whoa hey, let's...let's not go_ that _far. I didn't...I mean that wasn't my intention you have to believe me."

"_I know you and I do believe you. But that doesn't change the fact that you used Elise just to get to her sister. I'm sorry Anna, but that's pretty crappy of you_."

The words were a bitter and harsh pill to swallow. Because the longer they festered, the more she realized that what Lilo was saying was true. It was hard to admit, but as innocent as she probably thought she was...she really wasn't.

"I...I know...I'm a bad person and what I did was wrong. I know that."

She heard a sigh on the other end. "_No you're not. You did a bad thing sure, but that doesn't make you a bad person. Just...if you do like this girl, and it really sounds like it, you just...no more lying, okay? Don't make this...whatever you want with her...don't base it off lies._"

"I won't. Trust me." Anna said.

"_I do, hell you're my best friend of course I do._"

"Really now?" she couldn't help but to grin, "Not even Stitch?"

"_I can have more than one best friend you know?_"

Anna lay back down on her bed, relieved that they had hopefully put this moment of harsh reality behind them. "Yeah but I'm like your _best _best friend."

"_Hmm, I dunnoooo..._" Lilo teased, "_I mean my _best _best friend would have told me when she was hooking up with an older girl. How old is she anyway?_"

"She's, uh...she's...she's..." Well crap.

"_Oh my god you don't even know how old she is?!_"

"No?" Anna shamefully admitted. "But like...she _seems _like she's still pretty young. I was just, you know, assuming she's gotta be at least like 19 you know?"

"_Anna...do you know _anything _about her?_"

"O-of course I do."

"_Like?_"

...dammit, Lilo was right. Again. In the process of finding out what she actually knew about this girl that she was crazy about for weeks now, she realized that there really _wasn't _much she knew about her. She was a college student, that much she did know. Had the best little sister who she actually _did _know some things about. Was an amazing kisser and...well that's where the list ended.

"_I thought so._" Lilo responded after a lack thereof from Anna. "_How are you so sure that she's not like in her 20s or something? You know your parents would never be okay with that. I mean I'm not even sure _I _would be okay with that. Anna...are you sure you can even trust her? You're my friend, I don't want you getting hurt._"

"She would never hurt me." Anna replied, almost offended. "You're right, again. I don't know much about her but I _do _know that she wouldn't hurt me. I trust her, Lilo."

She didn't say anything else, waiting patiently for an answer even though it was still a complete mystery how she would reply to whatever it is Lilo would say next.

"_Alright I trust you. But just be careful, okay? And remember what I said._"

She had already taken those words to heart. "I will, don't worry. So see you Monday then?"

"_Yeah. See you Monday."_

There was a beep, followed by silence, followed by a drawn out breath from Anna as she took in the entire conversation, weighing her words against Lilo's. Yes she was carefree and blunt, and sometimes just a little bit out there, but dammit all if that dark-haired hellraiser wasn't wise for her age. It had been an incredibly eventful morning. What with her parents dropping a bombshell on her with their news and then that phone call she had way too much to think about right now. Maybe it really was time to take that nap in order to clear her head.

Unfortunately the sound of her phone going off again was a sign that that wouldn't happen anytime soon. She was tempted to just let it go to voice mail but immediately decided against it when she took note of the Caller ID. No way would she let this phone call go unanswered.

She swiped eagerly at her phone and placed it at her ear, smiling gleefuly. "Hey Elsa! What's up?"

"_A-Anna! Hi. Sorry, did I wake you_?"

"Do I _sound_ like I just woke up?" Anna giggled but immediately regretting that comment. Did that sound too mean-spirited? Hopefully not.

"_Well I mean no. But like...it's just you know it's kinda early in the morning and I...didn't know if you were awake..."_

She looked at the clock across her room. "It's like..almost 10 in the morning."

Wait really? Yeesh, how long did those conversations with her parents and Lilo last?

"_Oh. Well...sorry. Still._"

Hearing Elsa trying to carry on the conversation and failing miserably was just adorable. But there was that nagging feeling that if Anna didn't start pulling her weight here, Elsa might give up due to just being terrible at talking and hang up. And that would just be...not okay. At all.

"No no no don't apologize. Please, I like talking to you."

"_Sor-ahem, uh I mean...thanks. Really. I-I like talking to you too._"

Still, it was nice toying with the older girl. It was silly, yeah, but it felt...right. Effortless. She didn't have to worry about what to say when she was talking to Elsa because there was just like no way she would take anything she ever said the wrong way.

And she was very anxious to test this. "Relax Elsa! Yeesh, you act like you didn't just kiss me few hours ago."

"_Wh-uh...well...b-bu...I mean..._"

Yup, the theory was still holding true.

The loud coughing and shocked stammering on the other end was proof enough of that. And the giggling from Anna turned into a full-on laugh because of it.

"I'm so sorry! I couldn't resist!" she spoke between her laughing fit.

Elsa groaned, "_Ugh, god you are just so..."_

"So...?" the redhead asked with anticipation.

"_Impossible._"

"I'll take it. So what's up?"

She heard a sigh. Not a bad one, at least it didn't seem like it. Sounded more like a kind of breath someone took before they had to give big news or ask for something.

"_Well since you already addressed the kiss from yesterday and sound, like, really okay with it..._"

Of course she would be. It was the one thing she had been hoping for for weeks. And it finally came true. How could she _not _be okay with it?

"_I, uh...guess the other reason I called here is because...well...see..._"

"Uh huh...?"

"_Erm...see I was just wondering...maybe...I mean if you wanted...that...I dunno maybe you want to..._"

Wait a second.

"Elsa, are you asking me out?"

There was silence, and Anna was almost praying that it was for a good reason. Who knows what would happen if she had read this all horribly wrong?

"_...wow. Am I really _that _predictable?_"

Relief mixed with over encompassing joy now that Anna realized that not only did she not read things wrong, but that once again this, all this, was actually happening. Elsa had just asked her out. In admittedly the least smoothest way possible but it was the thought that count. And it counted for a lot. It took every inch of self-control for her not to squeal like a little kid on Christmas morning.

"Aww Elsa, this is so sweet!" she exclaimed.

"_It is? Cause I'm pretty sure I fucked up every single step I had running through my head._"

"Oh pssh." Anna scoffed. "Nothing ever really goes according to plan anyway."

She sensed the pout on Elsa's face. "_Yeah, you're right. So then...what do you say?_"

There was this intense and undeniable sense of hopefulness emanating through the phone. And Anna was right on the verge of saying yes before stopping herself due to one big thing she had completely forgotten about up until now: her parents.

And more specifically that damn rule that was getting more and more aggravating with each passing moment. She knew they meant well, really but this had now just become all kinds of inconvenient. As if it weren't before.

"Elsa, I..." she guiltily started. Having to explain why they couldn't date, at least not for awhile, was going to be rough.

Unless she didn't.

If Anna was being honest with herself, there was no way she could possibly survive three, four years without Elsa. As desperate as that probably sounded, it was true. And after all this time, all the work she had put in, all the steps they had _both _taken to get this far, why stall any further? Momentum was on their side, and while it wasn't exactly a wise idea to defy her parents they would understand after enough time passed.

"_I-It's okay, I get it. Maybe I overstepped my boundaries a bit too much here. I guess I'll just-_"

"Wait!" Anna interrupted. "I'd love to go out with you, really. I'm sorry I was just surprised is all, please don't take it the wrong way."

"_You do?_"

She nodded reassuringly, "Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"

"_I, uh...okay yeah I've got nothing for that._"

"See?"

"_So then...what do you want to do? Because I'm gonna be honest, I didn't think I'd even get _this _far._"

This was a first, among all the other firsts she had experienced recently. Never had anyone actually asked what she wanted to do on a date before. Then again no one had ever actually_ asked_ her out on a date before. Which she didn't really mind, after all 14 isn't exactly a common dating age. But still, she found herself in this rare scenario where she honestly didn't know what to say.

"Wow I...I really don't know what I wanna do, you know? This is the first time I've actually...well it's the first time anyone's actually asked me out before."

"_Holy shit, really? Damn that means I really have to step this up to give you like the best first date ever then._"

And this finally got a chuckle out of the older girl, something that wasn't unneeded apologies or awkward stammering. Which Anna would have taken more joy in had it not been for the fact that she was now blushing so hard she was scared a blood vessel might pop or something. As the very idea of finally going to go out on a date with this, let's face it, dream girl of hers began to sink in it just made her less and less composed. Functional even. Her boldness and confidence was absolutely failing her right now.

"_Let's see, a movie would be too boring, I'd actually like to get to know you more. Dinner too formal. Lunch? Nah that's just lame._"

As Elsa continued to rattle off and immediately shoot down potential date ideas, Anna stared up at her ceiling still too flustered to speak. But she had to say _something _soon, the silence on her end might be taken as a bad sign. Trying to fight through the battling thoughts of shock and realization that this was actually happening, she said the first suggestion that came to her mind.

"Mini golf!"

Or rather, shouted it.

"_Mini golf?_" the older girl questioned.

"Y-yeah I mean why not you know? It's fun, we get to hit stuff for like an hour, there's one place not too far from here. And...and I'm just realizing how childish this all sounds. God I keep forgetting I'm not eight years old."

"_No no, don't be so hard on yourself. That doesn't sound like a bad idea really. Hell I haven't been to that old place in awhile anyway. You sure that's what you wanna do?_"

"Elsa, I don't care _what _we do if it means being able to spend time with you."

Anna wasn't entirely sure where that line came from, certainly not from her insanely jumbled up mind, but damn it all if it didn't work.

Once again, Elsa was at a loss for words in this conversation, just like it started. "_That's...umm...wow. Just...wow._"

And she couldn't help the smug smile on her lips at the effect the statement had on the blonde. "Yeah I got you pretty good, didn't I?"

"_Again, impossible._"

"Noted." Anna giggled.

"_So when do you wanna go? This weekend, maybe?_"

"That sounds perfect! Guess I'll see you there."

"_See you there? You know I can pick you up, right? Besides I'm pretty sure your parents would-"_

"No!" Anna shouted a bit too suspiciously. She quickly calmed herself down, trying not to set off even more alarms than that exclamation probably already did. "I mean, uh...n-no it's fine. Really. You're sweet but...my parents have these rules for me regarding dating or whatever and they said only they can drive me to all my dates. At least until I get my license."

She was lying through her teeth, and she knew this. But as much as the lie stung, it was better than the alternative. The truth. Or at least that's what she told herself.

"_That seems a little bit excessive but in the short amount of time I had with your parents I can tell that they're still good people. So I can respect those rules. You sure they'll be okay with this, though?_"

"Definitely." she lied.

"_I mean I'm not just talking about the whole driving you thing. But like...are you sure they'll be okay with, well, us?_"

"Yes Elsa, I'm sure they'll be okay with us." she lied again.

"_Okay...I believe you, Anna. I just wanted to make sure, that's all. So I'll see you next weekend?"_

"Yes! I'll see you then!" And before the familiar beep could sound off again, she realized that there was one last thing she needed to ask. "Oh wait! Before I forget..."

"_Hmm?_"

"Er, uh...how old are you?"

There was a laugh from Elsa that was music to the redhead's ears. It was soothing, sweet, like chocolate. If that made really any sense at all. "_I'm 18. Don't turn 19 till the end of the year._"

So she was close.

After five minutes of goodbyes between the two- time between each goodbye stretched on as they found even more things to talk about somehow- Elsa finally hung up. Leaving Anna alone once more in her room. She turned back towards the clock: _10:34 AM._

Just as she expected, time always seemed to fly by whenever she and Elsa were together.

It had been an incredibly eventful morning, but while she should have been running off the adrenaline over the phone call instead she felt even more drained than before. Besides the obvious abundance of good news that came just from her conversation with Elsa, there were still things about her day that were less than stellar.

As good as she felt for making it this far, there was that nagging voice in the back of her head that she tried and failed to ignore. Her actions would have consequences, that was pretty much certain.

It was only a matter of when and where.

* * *

**A/N: Holy crap, I've spent...what like three chapters on this one day? I think it's about time to move forward because I'm sure there will be riots if I don't.**

**Up next: Their first date!**

**I'm just as excited as you are.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

**A/N: Heheh, get it? 14? Get it? ...I'll shut up now.**

* * *

Suddenly it was next Saturday. Anna was in the back of her parents' car excited yet at the same time apprehensive about making it to their destination.

"Where do we drop you off to meet Lilo again?" her mother asked from the passenger seat.

"Wha-oh! Um...you can just drop me off at the front, that's alright." she responded, momentarily forgetting her cover story.

"And how long do you think you'll be?"

Anna fidgeted with the wavy locks of hair that fell onto her shoulder, not entirely sure how to answer that. How long did dates actually take? An hour? Two? A whole night?

"I'm not so sure. A couple hours maybe?" she said, just to be safe.

"And you're sure you're gonna be okay on your own?" her mother asked in that typical motherly tone.

And Anna responded in typical teenager fashion: rolling her eyes, scoffing and giving a cheeky grin. "Relax Mom! Yeesh, I'm 14 I _think _I'll be alright on a da...y without you guys watching over me."

Well that was an awful save.

Luckily her parents didn't catch on to the near slip up. Her dad chuckled as he rounded a corner into a parking spot. "I'm sure you will be, but what kind of parents would we be if we didn't look out for you 24/7?"

"Uh...the best kind?"

As soon as the car came to a complete stop she opened her door and rushed out to look at the entrance, being careful of course that there wasn't a car in her way. The amusement park towered over the expansive parking lot. Even with the spot they had found in almost the very back of said lot she could still clearly hear the screams of the patrons as the massive roller coaster descended down one of its many drops. Yet with a place as crowded as this was on an almost daily basis, the park was in amazingly good shape.

The main entrance greeted any and all with a giant, red arch with gold letters that adorned the length of the metal reading "Golf World". Why it was named like that Anna would never know. Especially when the mini golf course took up a quarter of the park at best. Under the red arch was where she needed to meet Elsa, so she turned around and gave a quick goodbye to her parents who had for some reason got out of the car.

"Um guys...why are you getting out?" she asked, unconcerned with how rude that may have sounded.

"What do you mean?" her dad asked puzzled. "We told you on the drive over here that we decided to tag along for today."

Admittedly she had zoned out of the earlier conversation a few times, giving vague nods and mmhmm's when it felt appropriate. She had been busy mulling over making today perfect and hoping nothing screwed it up.

Looks like it was a bit too late for that.

"Wh...bu...wait what?!" Anna sputtered.

"Oh don't worry, we're not going to _actually _tag along with you and be those awkward parents that hangs out with their kid when they're with their friends. But your mother and I just figured that it took a bit of time just to drive here anyway, might as well enjoy ourselves too."

Well she couldn't obviously say no and that they had to drive back home, that would be extremely sketchy. Not to mention she had zero authority over what they did today so that didn't really matter.

"I...okay yeah sure. But I'm gonna go meet up with Lilo now if you don't mind." she responded the only way she knew how.

"Of course we don't honey, go on."

* * *

It would be a grave understatement to say that this put a wrench in her plans. One of the most perfect parts of this place in particular for a date was its tendency to be crowded, meaning there was a slim chance of anyone who knew who they were to actually see them. But with her parents, the last people she wanted to see them, actually here that complicated things.

She had to avoid them. Somehow. The entire day. That was the plan, and it wasn't much of one and was a lot easier said than done but regardless that was the plan.

Anna was so lost in her planning process that she completely forgot that she was actually _at _said amusement park. So packed to the brim with people that if she wasn't careful she could bump into someone. Which she did.

"Oof!" she cried, followed by a quick apology.

"Shit, I'm so sor-Anna?"

The redhead looked up at the sound of her name being called out before realizing that it came from the person she had ran into. Who not only looked very familiar, but also drop dead gorgeous. Even if all she was wearing was a simple violet hoodie and faded jeans.

"Elsa..." Anna said, her tone reminding her just how smitten she was with this girl.

"I...we _really _need to stop bumping into each other like this."

Maybe it was the way the two had finally found each other, maybe it was the atmosphere of the place itself, or maybe it was that totally expected yet still corny joke that Elsa just said, but Anna had a feeling that this wouldn't be anything like their past encounters. No awkward silences, no pawing desperately for the right words, no out of place gestures. No, for the first time things just felt right.

She giggled, "Wow you know, if I didn't know any better I'd say you set all that up just so you could say that line."

Elsa scoffed, "Hey give me some credit here, okay? Sometimes I'm not a complete mess with my words."

"Yeah, _sometimes_." She subconsciously tugged on the fabric on Elsa's arm. "You look amazing by the way."

And to her surprise Elsa vividly blushed at that compliment, which fueled the infatuation with the older girl that she didn't think could actually grow any more. "Oh um...w-wow. Thanks. I mean...you really think so?"

That boldness that Anna prided herself on was back once again as she tugged a bit harder on the fabric and moved closer to the older girl. There was barely any space between them now.

"I know so." she replied with an earnest smile.

Elsa didn't say anything at first, she only stared wide eyed at this side of Anna she was barely acquainted with. And if that wasn't enough of a tell, her blush had even turned from its modest shade of pink to a fiery red. She closed her eyes tight and shook her head as a way to compose herself.

"Ahem! That's...thank you. A-and you look..."

"I look...?" Part of her, well most of her greatly enjoyed toying with Elsa. Especially in these kinds of situations.

"Adorable!" Elsa finally said with her own endearing smile.

The smirk on Anna's face abruptly shifted to an open-mouthed look of bewilderment that quickly turned into a pout. "Hey!"

Elsa giggled into her palm, "I'm sorry it's just that...where did you get that shirt?"

Oh right, her shirt. Anna looked back down at her attire and frowned at the present she had gotten for her birthday a year ago. It was a simple green t-shirt given to her by her aunt who vaguely knew of Anna or her interests. In the center was a monkey kneeling over a small chair and banging wildly on a set of drums that had several holes in it already from such an intense drumming session. She loved the shirt actually, but it was in no way proper date clothing. In fact the only reason she wore it today was so, again, her parents wouldn't get suspicious.

"It was a gift." she replied, her pout contrasting with the blonde's playful grin.

"Well then I need to thank whoever gave it to you because you look unbelievably cute in it."

And that was how Anna found herself blushing just as hard as Elsa was only a few moments ago.

Being so incredibly dumbfounded now, she almost missed when fingers started to run through the hair she had spent nearly an hour fixing up (it was a special occasion after all and she needed at least _some _part of her to look respectable). "And your hair is pretty cute too, god I almost didn't recognize you at first. You should wear it like this more often."

Anna gave up on talking, clearly outmatched against Elsa when it came to overly embarrassing the other.

* * *

Staying away from her parents wouldn't be too hard she figured. If they kept to the mini golf course and Anna kept a watchful eye from time to time, then things wouldn't be a problem. Of course that didn't mean she wasn't also focused on having a wonderful time with her date. Which still felt odd yet satisfying to say.

And three holes in, she realized two things:

One, Elsa was somehow amazing at golf.

And two, she was...not.

After getting another shameful score on the next hole-after she hit double digits, she stopped counting-Anna stomped her foot roughly into the turf.

"Ugh, this is so frustrating! How are you so good at this?"

Elsa, who had gotten another birdie, leaned on her club and shrugged with a cocky grin. "Hmm, I dunno really. Me and Elise used to go here all the time as kids and we were always so competitive. Guess that experience is still there somehow."

"Cheater." Anna mumbled as she finally got the ball to go inside the hole. "I bet _I'd _be insanely good at mini golf if _I _had a little sister."

"I think it's a little bit more complicated than that." Elsa replied, leading them both to the next hole. "Besides, she was always so damn pushy when it came to this kinda stuff. Always wanted a rematch. Trust me, you wouldn't wanna put up with that."

"Oh but I do. Really." she got in front of Elsa and walked backwards as she continued her thought. "You and Elise have such a great relationship, it's actually kinda touching. I just, you know, I wish I had someone who I could do this kinda stuff with."

Suddenly Elsa was right in front of her, hands resting on her shoulders again just like last time. "Hey, you don't have to worry about that anymore alright? You've got me."

Anna looked up admiringly after hearing such an unbelievably heartwarming comment. It was so earnest and caring and lovely and...what in the hell was she supposed to say after _that_?!

"Th-thank you. I...wow th-that really means a lot."

"I mean-I'm not like saying I'm the only person you _need _or anything. Just like, I'm pretty sure you have friends and stuff but I mean...uh...wow I probably should have stopped while I was ahead..."

And there was the Elsa she knew and lov...liked. Always making sure she was never out of line with basically everything she said. "No it's okay, I knew what you meant. And yeah I have friends but I'd much rather be spending time with you right now if that's okay?"

The older girl felt relieved and smiled, "It's more than okay. Hey speaking of which, who are your friends by the way? And I don't, you know, mean that in a creepy stalker kind of way, I'm just curious is all."

"Again, I know what you meant." she chuckled as they continued their walk. "I have three of the best friends in the world, and they're all huge band nerds like me. There's Violet, she's quiet most of the time but one of the brightest people I know. Not to mention she's like a clarinet goddess."

"Like a legitimate goddess or...?"

Anna played along, "Oh yeah, definitely. She has the whole toga and everything. And then there's Lilo and Stitch, they're cousins. They're both pretty blunt and outspoken most of the time, always getting into trouble too. You might have met Stitch actually, he was the other drummer at the concert."

"You mean the guy with the blue...everything?"

"That's the one!" she exclaimed, "So those are my friends. Now you have to tell me about yours!"

"Oh! Um...sure but they probably won't be as impressive as yours. Anyway, uh...well there's Mulan. She's this insanely athletic chick that I met at a party. Same with this guy named Flynn who I haven't actually seen in awhile. He's...you know I actually don't know much about him other than he has a girlfriend that goes to your high school. A senior named Rapunzel. Ever heard of her?"

She pondered over that name for a second, wondering if it would ring any bells. "Hmm, no I can't say I have."

"Ah well that's alright. And then there's this other guy, his name's Kristoff. Typical jock but a pretty nice guy all around. I met him actually last semester when I was dati-um..."

Elsa stopped herself but it was too late, Anna's curiosity was piqued. Dati...? Wait.

"...dating? Dating who?"

"Well...it was this girl. Named Belle. Let's just say things didn't work out between us."

There was, if Anna wasn't mistaken, a bit of pain in her voice. And based off that last sentence, there was probably something Elsa wasn't telling her. And something she probably had no business asking about at the moment. "Oh...okay. I'm sorry I brought that up."

"Pssh, it's fine. Really. Besides, I was gonna tell you about it eventually."

"Eventually?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, "So then..."

Elsa sighed and brought her palm over her face, that blush set on her cheeks again. "I really need to stop talking, don't I?"

* * *

Eight holes in and Anna still hadn't seen her parents, which she chalked up to stupidly amazing luck. Unfortunately the same still couldn't be said about her performance on the course.

"Uuuugh! Can I _please _just give up now?" Anna whined.

Elsa shook her head, "Oh come on now Anna, we've only got like one more hole left."

"But it's haaaaaard." she continued to whine.

"It's not so hard once you get a feel for it. Here want me to teach you?"

Well like...what else was she supposed to say? No, she'd rather continue to suffer alone? "I would love that, thank you."

Besides, maybe Elsa's method of teaching was the more..hands-on approach. As in physically showing Anna how to actually golf. As in doing the cliché thing they do in romance movies all the time where the guy stands behind the girl, puts his hands over hers and shows her the ropes. And then they look into each other's eyes and stare lovingly. Yeesh, Anna was blushing just thinking about it.

"Alright so what you need to do..." Elsa started, nowhere near close enough to the younger girl to constitute any kind of physical contact. "...is like, you gotta stop whacking the damn thing like you're pissed off at it."

Well so much for that silly romantic gesture. "Wait I am?"

"Yup-okay well, not _exactly _that hard I was kinda exaggerating. But you are hitting it a bit too hard for such a tiny course. Just relax a bit on your shot. Also...well you're probably good at math, right?"

"Probably?" Anna asked, slightly offended.

"Okay fine, _definitely_. Just think of each hole like an equation or something. Do that whole XYZ thing in your head and find out how hard you actually need to hit the ball before, you know, actually hitting it."

Quite frankly that made zero sense. And yet at the same time it made perfect sense. Think of this all like an equation...well it wouldn't hurt to try.

Anna scanned the next hole, examining the height of each hill, the way it curved endlessly, how the hole itself seemed to be miles away even though it probably wasn't. And much to her surprise, it kind of worked. She gave what seemed to be a more precise hit on the ball and watched as it traveled down the length of the turf. In a perfect world, it would have went in after just that one hit. But this wasn't a perfect world. On the bright side it had cleared most of the hurdles for this particular set.

"Not bad." Elsa stated proudly.

She turned around and beamed at the blonde, "Well what can I say? I have an excellent teacher."

It was then that Anna realized she hadn't actually checked her phone in the longest time, too caught up in her first, and best, date she'd ever been on. In hindsight though she probably _should _have checked her phone. Because if she had, then she would have probably seen the text from her parents that not only asked if she was doing fine, but also that they were on their way to the course. Ten minutes ago.

She felt her insides practically sink as the realization kicked in. And it sunk even more, if that was possible, when she had gotten a glimpse of the pair actually making their way towards the entrance of the course. Chances are they'd probably spot her in no time at all, so she had to think fast.

She tackled Elsa, who was busy lining up her own shot, into a conveniently placed sandpit. Why it was there and taking up at least a third of the entire course in the first place was anyone's guess.

"Gah! Anna what are you do-"

Her outburst was silenced when Anna, who had landed directly on top of her, closed the gap between them with a kiss.

One that lasted just long enough for, she guessed, her parents to make their way into a hut where they were supposed to get all their equipment from. Hopefully they wouldn't take long.

Well actually now that Anna realized what she was doing exactly, and where they were, and how amazing this kiss actually felt, she was now hoping they'd take as long as possible.

Unfortunately for her, Elsa pulled the two apart in order to take a well-needed breath.

"Anna..." she panted, "Wh-what...the hell...was..."

Thank goodness her brain was still partially working, or this would have been hell to explain. She smiled, mostly at Elsa but partially at herself for doing what she just did. "I...just realized I never returned the kiss."

* * *

After a hurried exit away from the course, Anna became aware of two things: One, she was unbelievably hungry. And two, when did it get so cold? The weather sent shivers down her spine, and not the good kind.

And Elsa noticed this, and slipped out of the hoodie she was wearing, holding it out behind Anna. "Here. You look like you need this more than I do."

"Are you sure?" the redhead questioned.

"Well it's either that or I look like an idiot holding this jacket for you until you have to go home."

How could she say anything but yes to this? "A-alright. Thanks." she replied while nestling into it comfortably.

"It's probably a little big, sorry bout that."

"No no, it's fine really. It feels...nice." And it did. It really did. The fabric felt as good, maybe even better, on the inside than it did on the outside. The cotton was warm and enveloping and the best part of it was, as strange as it may sound, she could still smell Elsa on it. And she smelled like...mint? Hmm.

"Hey, you hungry?" Elsa asked, who had been wearing a plain white t-shirt underneath. Chances are she probably never expected to take the jacket off.

Anna nodded, "I actually am, yeah."

"Well good cause so am I. Come on, I remember this place having _really _good burgers and-oh look at that, we're already here."

The sky was a mesmerizing mix of orange and dark blue now and the place was a lot less crowded than it had been before. She was glad, this meant they could maybe finally talk in peace without having to worry about even being heard. She sat down on an empty and surprisingly clean bench as she stared out at the rest of the park. Everyone seemed to be having an amazing time, whether they were with their family or someone special. There wasn't a single solemn face in this sea of people as far as Anna could tell.

She sighed contently, thinking about how she was in the latter. Here, on such a gorgeous day, with a girl she didn't think would ever actually be with her to enjoy all this with. And besides that near scare earlier, today couldn't have gone any better. That feeling of satisfaction made room for guilt as well, guilt over having to even resort to tackling Elsa into a sand pit just to continue with her lie.

Elsa didn't deserve to be lied to like this, especially since she had been nothing but honest with Anna this whole time. So she decided then and there that she had to come clean. Before this could get any worse.

The sound of a tray setting down onto the wooden bench and the enticing aroma of food got her attention in a hurry. She turned herself around and smiled first at the tray and up at Elsa who had gone out of her way to order it for them.

"Ah shit, I just realized I forgot to ask what you wanted. I really hope it's okay that I just got you the same thing." Elsa said guiltily.

"Shhhhhh, it's okay! Now sit down and eat with me, I'm starving!" Anna replied, masking her own guilt.

The blonde smirked and complied with the order, "Yes ma'am."

In no time at all the two had absolutely devoured the two large baskets of burgers and fries like it was the only meal they had had in weeks. They were so hungry that they hadn't said a word to each other throughout the entire meal, almost as if the other didn't even exist. Once the tray had been picked clean though, this changed.

That is, after about five minutes of them praising the food that now took shelter inside their stomachs.

"Okay so...can I ask you a personal question?" Elsa said after their riveting conversation about the meal was over.

Part of her really wanted Elsa to ask if her parents really were okay with them being together because it would make her job so much easier, so of course she would be okay with asking her something. "Go ahead, as long as I can ask one after?"

"Of course you can. Anyway uh...so I was wondering..."

"Yeah...?" Anna waited anxiously.

"That concert...was that your first kiss?"

"Oh." she said immediately.

"Oh?"

"Er uh, nothing. Nothing. And yeah...yeah that was my first kiss..." And the best one she had ever gotten ever...so far.

"Wow, so then was it..." Elsa couldn't look her in the eye anymore, like this was too embarrassing for her to continue talking about. Yet she continued anyway, speaking softer than before. "...was it okay?"

"Elsa, it was amazing! To be honest, I'd uh...kinda...you know...thought about it for a long time."

"Really? How long?"

Damn, she didn't think she'd have to confess to this bit for awhile. "Ever since you bumped into me that first day."

At least now Elsa was finally looking her in the eye again. Unfortunately now she herself was finding it hard to maintain eye contact after coming clean like this. She caught a glimpse of surprise on the older girl's face just as she averted her gaze to the wooden bench.

"It's been like that for me too."

Whoa what?

She instantly lifted up her head again to stare back, eyes wide and jaw close to dropping onto the floor. "Really?"

Elsa nodded. "Really. And I have to admit I didn't think it'd ever get _this _far."

See now Anna had to know. Just to be 110% certain. "But are you glad it did?"

Thankfully, now, she got the best answer possible. Along with a smile that could have lit up the entire park.

"More than glad."

* * *

The sky was now pitch black, with the amusement park being anything but. Anna wasn't entirely sure what time it was, and she didn't really care. Today had went better than she could ever imagine.

The couple had found a gorgeous part in the amusement park that must have been tailored to dates who wanted some peace and quiet from the plethora of activity that went on throughout the rest of the area. It was a secluded building filled with gorgeous artwork from different artists that decorated every bit of the walls. Classical music played over the stereo and in the middle of the room were assorted couches, most of which were already taken. Hallway after hallway was filled to the brim with art that ranged from explosive, dynamic themes and colors to simple pieces that left their interpretations up to the viewers. It was a complete 180 from everything else, and seemed incredibly out of place, and Anna didn't care a single bit.

"I just realized I never asked my question." she spoke, holding on tightly to Elsa's arm.

"Go ahead. No holding back, I'll answer anything." Elsa replied, leading the two towards every new painting.

She had actually given this question a little bit of thought. It was a nagging point in the back of her mind ever since the older girl mentioned it earlier on their date. "You told me about Belle, but I was wondering...did you date anyone else?"

"Nah, not really. I wasn't what you'd call the most social of people before I met her. She helped me get out of comfort zone and I'll always thank her for that. But before that I was never with anyone else."

"Oh, well that's good to know." She clutched Elsa's arm even tighter, not wanting this moment to ever end. Still though, there was one little thing that bothered her about this, and it was sort of petty in a way. "She sounds like she was really important to you."

"She was, I can't lie. But...like I said, things didn't work out. At some point everything was perfect, and then just like that...it wasn't. So yeah I do owe her for a bunch but at the same time I wouldn't take her back for anything. And besides..."

There was all of a sudden a finger tucked underneath Anna's chin, pulling her face up and causing her to look into those blue eyes that stared at her affectionately. Even with such a reassuring look, she couldn't help but feel vulnerable. So lost in the expression that she almost missed Elsa finishing her thought.

"...you're better."

And Elsa said it so clearly there was no way she could mistake it for anything else. But still...she was better? What did that mean exactly? Her curiosity was piqued at an impossibly high level.

"I'm...what do you me-" Before she could ask, the moment was interrupted by the frustratingly inconvenient ringing of her phone.

Just as she expected, it was her parents.

"_Honey, we're heading over to the car now. Just meet us where we parked, alright?_"

"Alright Mom, I will." Anna hurriedly hung up the phone and looked apologetically towards the blonde who was still smiling, probably from seeing the vivid reaction her statement had gotten. "I'm so sorry, that was my parents and they're...here to pick me up now."

"It's fine, Anna. Besides, it was getting kinda late anyway and I was just about to ask when they were gonna get here anyway."

Anna let out a sigh of relief, "Thanks for being so understanding."

"No problem, really. Now come on, you don't wanna keep them waiting."

"Right." she started to walk to the exit before turning back around, realizing something important. "Oh wait, uh...before I forget."

"Yeah?"

As soon as she got close enough to Elsa, she wrapped her arms around her waist and embraced her tightly, nuzzling her face into the area between her shoulder and neck. "Thanks for an amazing date." she mumbled into the older girl's shirt.

Elsa returned the hug as best as she could, wrapping her arms around the younger girl's shoulders. "Thanks for _being _an amazing date. I'll call you later, alright?"

"Alright." Anna spoke happily.

The date was over, but she wished this moment specifically could last forever. Here in Elsa's arms, swaying slightly with the sound of an orchestra providing a gorgeous ending to a practically flawless day.

And with one last content sigh, all her troubles seemed to vanish.

* * *

**A/N: I made a tumblr by the way (that's what they call it right?) Why I did it I'm not entirely sure but I'll be posting chapter links there too when I update.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**A/N: Apparently I can't put links in these chapters. That's a bummer. So I'll just save myself some headache and post a link to my tumblr on my profile page. Have fun with that!**

* * *

It was the Monday after that impossibly fantastic date and Elsa was on the way back to her car. The day had went by so fast and most of that had to do with the fact that she had been lacking any semblance of focus. Ever since the date, and especially one moment in particular, she had found it difficult to keep her mind on track. And the voice in her head wasn't much help either.

_Fuck, okay so...where did we park again? _

It was that damn kiss! That abrupt display of affection from Anna which had her reeling _then _and definitely had her reeling now. Why the hell didn't she talk to her about it on their date?! Oh right because all she could think about afterwards was how she wanted so badly for her to do it again.

_Is it this way? No wait shit that leads back into campus..._

The torment didn't stop there unfortunately. Just thinking about the kiss would be fine enough, that was easy to deal with and it was surreal to even think about. The good kind, anyway. But no, because her mind was, well, her mind. it did _not _stop there. The position they were in, the seeming amounts of passion between the two, it had made her mind wander. And wander. And wander...

She felt her phone vibrate and checked it to see a message from her sister.

_Elise: No need to pick me up today, Anna's parents offered to give me a ride back home._

And with this, Elsa couldn't feel any more relieved. Time alone in their house meant time for her to think.

No. Not think.

Time to clear her head.

Earlier in the day she had already decided to talk to Elise about her problem, reasoning that her sister was the only one that could actually understand. How would her friends feel knowing that not only was she dating a 14 year old, but also that every second thought about said 14 year old was something that would probably be found in a bad, raunchy romance novel? Actually in all fairness, Mulan may have been the closest one to actually understand the former, but the latter may pose more than a bit of trouble.

The drive back was mentally exhausting, even with the radio on full blast she just could _not _get those thoughts out of her head. She couldn't stop thinking about the way Anna's body was pressed onto hers, how surprisingly thin the fabric on her shirt was , how she could easily feel underneath with the way her hands were positioned, how she wanted to feel even more...

_Stop! Fucking stop that right now! Before you crash!_

Oh that's right, Elsa had been driving this whole time... These thoughts were dangerous and the sooner she talked to Elise the better. Before Anna literally became the death of her.

Luckily home wasn't very far away and as soon as she was parked, she made a beeline for the front door, hurriedly opened it and rushed upstairs to her room. Her fortress of solitude where she could just zone out and get her damn mind at peace for the first time that day.

Sunday was a miraculous test of integrity itself. It was only after a nearly one hour phone call with Anna, lounging on her sister's bed with Elise giving the occasional scoff or snide remark, that these...thoughts had started to make themselves known.

Lost in the resulting bliss from her conversation with the redhead, she uncharacteristically squealed and thrashed around on the bed. Somehow she had gotten to wondering what it would be like if she could actually physically talk to Anna. Right there and right now. _On _the bed. And that was when she "conveniently" remembered the kiss they had shared inside the sand pit. Which got her to thinking what _else _they could do on the bed. Besides...talking.

She immediately excused herself from Elise's room after that.

Speaking of Elise, halfway up the stairs Elsa swore she could hear music along with the familiar voice of eternal joy that she envied at times. This was not one of those times.

_Oh look, she's already home. Just barge in and talk to her now, no use dragging this out._

Frankly she didn't really feel like arguing, her head just wasn't cooperating unless it was thinking more about how soft Anna's lips felt.

Chances are her sister wouldn't put up with her terrible excuses to "just hang out for a bit" another time, so the best thing to do was just come right out and say it.

Elsa, with zero regard for social grace or subtlety, pushed open the door and blurted out her horrible problem.

"I can't stop having dirty thoughts about Anna!"

And after a quick scan of the room, she immediately regretted her decision.

Because Elise, who stared up at her older sister in extreme disbelief, wasn't alone. To the right of her, sitting down with papers and textbooks scattered across the sheets, was the girl she had imagined being on the exact same bed with yesterday.

_Oh. My. Fucking. God._

For a solid five minutes at best, or rather at worst, not a single word was spoken between the trio. Never had there ever been a more awkward situation for any of them than right now. There was Anna, who was equal parts astonished and embarrassed. And Elsa, who was absolutely mortified and regretting everything she had ever said ever. And then there was Elise, who found herself in the middle of a predicament where she might be the only one that could get time to start working for the three of them again.

"Ahem, uh...Elsa? Can I talk to you?" Elise said as she walked towards her older sister.

Elsa didn't dare say anything else, in fear that she would probably, no, would definitely say the absolute wrong thing...again. Instead she allowed herself to be dragged out of the room by the only person whose mind was working at the moment.

As soon as the door closed, the two let out a much needed breath, finding a spot where Anna hopefully couldn't hear them.

Elise shut her eyes tight and pinched the bridge of her nose, visibly agitated. "Well then...I'm assuming you didn't get my text?"

_Text? What?_

She fished her phone out of her pocket and watched its mocking glow as the message lit up the screen.

_Elise: Oh! And Anna's here to return your jacket too! ;)_

Elsa couldn't find the right words to chide her rampant stupidity. Chances are the text was probably sent during her largely ineffective mind-clearing session on the drive back home.

Her sister sighed, "Anyway, what the hell was...you _do _know I can't help you with something like this, right?"

_Crap, she actually asked you a question. Now you _have _to answer. Just...try not to say anything else stupid._

"I was...really kinda hoping that you would?" Elsa replied, each word getting more and more sad and pathetic.

There was another sigh, this one more drawn out and exasperated than the first. "Oh my god, you're hopeless. But that's not what I meant."

"Then...what did you-"

"Elsa, I'm saying _I _can't help you with this."

She sorely missed the days when she was able to think clearly and understand things that weren't practically spelled out for her. "I-I'm still not entirely sure what you mean..."

Thankfully her sister understood _why _Elsa wasn't exactly at her best right now and mercifully spelled out what should have been completely obvious. "Okay look, I love the fact that you and Anna are dating. She's my friend and I surprisingly don't mind how half the time we just talk about you. But that doesn't _mean _I'm going to be your therapist or counselor or whatever when it comes to problems like this. At least not _all _the time."

_Aww, she talks about you a lot! Wait shut up, Elise is still talking!_

"So what I'm trying to tell you is..." her sister looked past her and back to the closed door, "...this is something you two need to talk about. With each other. Alone."

"What?!" Elsa cried, "You can't...I can't...I just...there's no way I can...I'm not doing that!"

Chances are Anna was hearing all of this.

"You _can _and you _will. _And do you know why?"

She was hesitant to ask, "...why?"

Elise placed one hand on her older sister's shoulder and the other on the doorknob.

Wait, doorknob?

_Oh god, she led you back!_

"Because you're already here!" her devious little sister replied as she pushed her into the open room and immediately closed the door.

Elsa made a mental note to kill her after this was over. But for now, she had a much bigger problem staring right at her. Still with those wide eyes like she hadn't moved a muscle this whole time.

And given the circumstances, the predicament that Elsa had put them both in, there was no way that Anna would be the first to say something.

_Okay so...let's..._not _say anything drastic...again._

"So..." she started, "I'm..._really_ sorry that you had to hear that. I thought Elise would be alone and was going to talk to _her _before, you know, maybe...talking to you. And I know I'm probably making this worse but I was seriously not expecting you to be here so I have like no game plan at all and-"

"Elsa, please just..." Anna interrupted, "Could you...sit here? Please?"

Knowing better than to not pass up that kind of opportunity, and needing another excuse to keep from continuing this conversation, she obliged and sat down on the bed. The sheets felt less comfortable than before.

"Again, I'm so sorry that you had to h-"

There was a hand held up in front of her face, silencing her apology from being uttered again. And thank god too cause she really didn't know where else to go from there. "Look I know, you probably don't want to talk about this. Anymore, anyway."

Which was only sort of true, yeah she wanted to talk to _Elise _as soon as possible because she, for some illogical reason, thought that she could somehow help. It was the talking to Anna part that she didn't really feel up to right now.

"And to be honest, I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about this either. So...maybe we can just drop the subject for now? Because I don't know about you, but I really hate how uneasy it feels in here right now."

Elsa let out a greatly relieved breath, "I'm perfectly okay with not talking abo-"

"Oh no you don't!" Elise called out through the door. "I'm not gonna leave this door until you both talk about this like adults!"

_Seriously?!_

"Seriously?!"

"Seriously!"

She lay down on the bed, visibly agitated with her hands pressed up against her forehead and reminding herself to kill Elise when she got out of this room. Hopefully Anna felt like protesting this idea just as much as she did.

"Alright fine, we'll talk about this!" she heard Anna shout.

_Oh god, Anna why?_

She looked up at the redhead, confused at her motives. "What? I thought you said that-"

And again she was interrupted by the same hand as before. Anna was being unusually bossy right now, and despite the trouble they were both sort of in Elsa kind of liked it. She liked this bold, take-charge attitude of the younger girl. It was different...and...attractive...

_No! Now is _not _the fucking time!_

"But could you at least just get away from the door?" Anna asked. "It doesn't feel right talking about something this...private with someone else listening in."

There was silence at first, but knowing her little sister she was probably rolling her eyes right now. "Ugh, alright fine! I'll be back in like half an hour, hopefully you two will be done by then."

Half an hour? Elsa wasn't entirely sure if that was too much time or too little. Either way the two were now truly alone, and they had some embarrassing business to attend to. Her heart was pounding out of her chest, and Anna wasn't doing much with that look she was giving her. What with those adorable eyes looking patiently, and that signature lip bite she had immediately cherished and was now making her feel other inconvenient feelings right now.

She shut her eyes tight trying to filter out the images flowing through her mind. As for how to start this conversation...maybe the best way to begin was just to be honest. "I...okay I seriously don't know how we're supposed to start with this. I mean like we just started dating last week! This isn't something we should be talking to about so soon...right?"

It was probably best that she hadn't added that pitiful little question at the end. After all, she was technically the relationship "expert" here on account of her being in one before. She needed to instill _some _sort of confidence into Anna that she at least kind of knew what she was doing.

"Well..." Anna started, still biting that damn lip and oh my god could she _please _stop doing that? "I have to agree. It does kinda feel like we're talking about something we're both not ready for."

"It really does." the blonde agreed.

"But if I can be honest with you..." she leaned in closer, whispering on the off chance that Elise never really left. "I've...been having the same thoughts too."

_Whoa. _

"Y-you have?"

Anna nodded, "I mean...every time you're not with me all I can think about is what it would be like if you were. What you'd say. What _I'd _say. What...what we'd do..."

This was a revelation, and a welcome one at that. Who knew Anna's mind was as lewd as hers. These were all things that might have been more effective had she said them out loud, but all that Elsa actually settled with was a bunch of nodding. That she could stop at any time because it was getting kinda weird.

"W-wow, well I...that's...gee, it's good to know that at least the feelings are mutual." she said eloquently.

The younger girl raised her eyebrow with a playful smile (_How were you ever lucky enough to find someone this cute?_), "Elsa we've kissed twice and went on a date two days ago. I'm pretty sure the feelings have been mutual for awhile now."

"Oh you know what I mean!" Elsa sat up, grateful for the lighthearted lull in the conversation that they both needed badly. "So then...I guess we kinda _are _sorta...maybe...ready to talk about this."

"I guess we are."

"But Anna, there is like something I want to clear up here."

"What's that?" Anna asked, following suit and sitting back up as well.

"Well, like...you're 14. And I just, you know, I don't want to pressure you into doing something you aren't ready for. If-if you know what I mean." she was still shocked that this was something that she really had to say. And so soon. This was the kind of thing that was supposed to be said somewhere further down the line. If there _was _one anyway.

"I know what you mean, don't worry. And trust me, I won't put that kind of pressure on you. Or me, really. We don't need to...you know. Not for a looooooong time."

In a normal relationship, this might have been a really big deal. Keeping physical contact to the bare minimum of hugs and kisses? Well that might have been torture to some people. But this wasn't a normal relationship, and quite frankly Elsa didn't care. Because who needed normal when she had Anna?

_Okay wow, that was really cheesy. Even for you._

Speaking of physical contact, out of instinct she had taken Anna's hand into hers, stroking it assuredly. "I'm absolutely okay with that. For now let's just keep things...natural."

"Natural?" the younger girl questioned.

"Yeah, natural."

"Weird, I thought you were gonna say slow or something."

Elsa giggled, "Anna, I know like we just talked about something big right now but you have to admit before this we kinda _were _taking things slow already."

"True." she replied with a tilt of her head. "So...natural. That I can live with."

She was always amazed at how mature Anna always seemed. Hell sometimes she was more mature than _her_. More levelheaded at the very least. This was a good thing, it balanced out with Elsa's inept social skills and horrible track record when it came to decision making.

She smirked, "I'm glad that you're so understanding about this. So...what now?"

Anna returned the smirk with one of her own as she began to take off her hoodie. Her shirt rode up as well, showing off a bare and progressively tantalizing midsection.

_Wait what? Wh-what is she...this is...what?!_

"Wh-bu...Anna, what are you doing? I thought you said you wanted to..."

The jacket came off, but the shirt stayed. Anna eyed the flustered girl curiously as she held out the piece of clothing in front of her. "Wanted to...what? I just wanted to give you back the jacket you gave me, that's all."

_Oh...right..._

She eagerly snatched the hoodie out of Anna's hands, smothering it onto her face to cover her painfully obvious blush. "Th-thanks." she mumbled out.

Unfortunately Anna just wouldn't let that earlier statement go. She peered into those suspecting eyes, "Wanted to what? What did you think I was doing, Elsa?"

"I thought that uh...I thought...just-just forget what I thought."

_Fuck just...change the subject._

"Erm, uh...y-you know. When...when you took off the jacket I was sorta expecting you to still be wearing the monkey shirt."

That miraculously got Anna of her case as she pulled back with a pout. "Hey!" she whined, "I have other shirts too you know."

"Yeah but like you seemed pretty attached to that one. Is it cause the monkey speaks to you somehow?" Elsa teased, still thoroughly impressed that she was able to avoid even more shame and embarrassment.

"Stooooooop!" Anna continued to whine, "I am _not _a monkey!"

Well as much as she admired the younger girl's maturity at times, it was even cuter when she was reminded of how, well, _less _than mature she could get. How easy it was just to rile her up and make her pout and whine, it was quickly becoming Elsa's favorite thing to do. "I never said you were." she teased.

"Hmmph, you're such a jerk." the miffed redhead huffed.

_Seriously, how did you _ever_ get _this _lucky?_

"Oh come on now, for what it's worth you're an adorable monkey." Elsa got up off the bed, "Anyway I'm gonna go back downstairs, you coming?"

Anna stood up as well but didn't say anything, although her reddened cheeks told Elsa exactly how she took that odd compliment. And before Elsa could ask again, she had given a faint nod to show that she would come with.

Before she could take another step, a short yet effective spark of boldness jolted the blonde's instincts, spurring on an act she had been mulling over since she had made the younger girl blush.

She gently held Anna's chin and turned her head back towards her before planting a chaste kiss on the younger girl's unsuspecting lips.

_Elise was right. You're completely hopeless, you know?_

Of course she did, but that didn't matter much right now. Sure other things may be off the table for an infinite amount of time, but that wouldn't exactly stop Elsa from ever giving up _this _feeling. This act right here. Because...well there wasn't exactly a truly romantic way to say this, not that she was ever much of a romantic anyway: kissing Anna felt _really _nice.

After pulling the two apart, Elsa grinned slyly. Scoring, in her mind, a point in this fictitious game she had come up with during the kiss. "I figured I should pay you back for that stunt at the golf course."

* * *

**A/N: Anna-1 Elsa-2 **

**Sorry for the lack of, uh...plot? Yeah plot. Then again the plot is kinda them dating and stuff so...wait why am I apologizing again?**

**Anyway this stuff's gonna come crashing down at some point in time so brace yourselves for that.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**A/N: Yes I suck at the internet, yes I know my tumblr was never actually on my profile. But it is now, and I don't like to be those kinda guys that keeps plugging their shit and okay well that was terrible word choice. Anyway it's on it now and this is the last time I'll bug you guy guys about it.**

* * *

Elsa cradled a camera cautiously in her hands, fearing that even a single, sudden movement would suddenly cause it to break. This mindset made the walk to their destination that much more agitating.

"This camera looks pretty expensive..." she said wearily. "I..._really _don't think I should be the one carrying this."

"Expensive? Yes. Durable?...also yes. Trust me, you could throw that bitch all the way across this parking lot and it'd _still _be working perfectly." Flynn ensured her, checking out the area in the meanwhile.

Kristoff grinned conspiringly while rolling his shoulder, as if he was gearing up for a punch. Or in this case a throw. "You know? I kinda wanna test that theory."

Mulan smacked the brash blonde on said shoulder, "Don't you dare. I didn't get dragged out of my house at 10:30 at night just to watch Flynn try to fix a broken camera instead of, you know, doing his flippy stuff."

Elsa, too, had been roped into this so unexpectedly. Her almost nightly ritual of calling Anna before they both went to sleep was interrupted by a text from Mulan who told her to come outside and get in the car parked outside on the driveway. Only after she had gotten in the car with her other three friends did they actually tell her what was going on, and...well to be honest there were worse ways to spend a Thursday night.

"My 'flippy stuff' has a name, you know?" the brown haired man corrected. "And besides, you wouldn't _have _to be here tonight if my cameraman didn't bail on me at the last minute."

"The cameraman is his girlfriend." Mulan whispered to Elsa who was about to ask.

"Gotcha." she whispered back, not sure why he didn't just say camera_woman_.

Apparently parkour was more than just a hobby for Flynn, it was sort of his job. Elsa didn't know how, and she certainly didn't question it, but these stunts he did that were posted on Youtube were somehow making him some ridiculous amounts of money. Like being able to pay off his tuition kind of money. No wonder he was so serious about this.

"I mean seriously who studies for a midterm that's like three weeks away?" he continued, looking horribly inconvenienced. "You guys get me right?"

His question was met with a varying chorus of no's.

"Hmmph." Flynn pouted. "Nerds, all of you. Anyway we're here now, so who's filming first?"

The "here" in question was a massive fountain that lay front and center in a plot of land that housed Arendelle Square, a popular shopping center in the middle of town. If it wasn't so late at night obviously this place would be packed, but right now it was a ghost town for three of them and a playground to one.

The fountain was turned off save for the lights in the inner ring that illuminated the still waters and jets positioned across it. In the center of the fountain was a metal sculpture that was difficult to describe. There really wasn't a theme or design to it, just bends in the metal that created curves, square frames, holes of different sizes.

The trio never actually came up with an order on who would be filming when, but Mulan had grabbed the camera out of Elsa's hands anyway. "Might as well get _my _part over with."

With Flynn giving the partially interested woman instructions on what exactly she needed to film him doing, it left the two blondes standing around with nothing much to do but watch or talk to each other.

_Sure let's just stand here quietly like an idiot while we wait for Kristoff to save us._

"You know..." Kristoff spoke up, "I'm still a little bit offended that Mulan has your number and I don't."

_Thank god he isn't as hopeless as we are._

Elsa chuckled, "Well maybe if you'd _ask _for it you big baby I would give it to you. Besides, I don't talk to her much on the phone anyway except for that one time I made a huge mistake of tagging along on one of her hellish morning runs."

"Still though."

She sighed, "Dude if you want my number, all you have to do is ask. Although you _do _know that there's like...zero chance of us getting to-"

"Oh I know! I know!" he interrupted. "Trust me...besides I wouldn't want to get in the way of you and...Anna, right?"

Elsa nodded. Earlier that week she had finally found the time to tell her friends the good news, which they were surprisingly supportive of-surprising to her anyway. It never actually came up organically so, in typical Elsa fashion, she just randomly blurted it out during a completely irrelevant conversation.

Needless to say two of them were thoroughly confused at first. Mulan being the only exception, who merely beamed at the graceless blonde.

She voiced her insecurity. "I'm still like...seriously amazed you guys are okay with me dating a 14 year old."

"And you're not?" he stated with disbelief.

Elsa didn't answer at first, briefly captivated by the admittedly impressive skills of Flynn who bounded over a metal block half his size, slinking through a hole made by the bends of the sculpture and rolling gracefully across to the other side. "Well...to be honest it's still a little bit weird for me. I mean I'm getting used to it obviously. Like a stupid age gap is gonna let me fuck up the best thing that's happened to me in awhile."

The taller blonde raised an eyebrow curiously, "Really now? The best thing that's happened to you? That's a lot of praise for...what your second relationship ever?"

"Yes and we've only been on one date, I know." Elsa frowned, "But I'm telling you, I think she's something special. I _really _want things to work out this time."

Kristoff crossed his arms over his chest, "Oh who am I kidding, I haven't been in a relationship in like a year. But hey, I'm happy for you. Hell I haven't seen you this happy since you know what."

She smiled graciously, "Thanks! Really, I mean it. And besides, the age gap isn't the suckiest part of all this anyway. You know she insists I only call her like after 8? Anytime before and she just won't pick up, it's crazy."

"Ooh, the bossy type. You must love that." he replied suggestively.

"Oh shut up." Unfortunately for her she still got flustered whenever the most subtle notion of anything promiscuous was brought up. A quick glance back at Flynn who had been busy somersaulting across the fountain's concrete outer ring reminded her of the other setback in her and Anna's relationship. "But like the worst part of all this is the time, you know? Like with her still in high school and me in college we can barely find time to see each other. It sucks! What do you think I should do?"

Kristoff scoffed, "Me? You're asking _me _for advice on this?"

"...yes?"

"Elsa, I'm the last person you'd want to be asking about this. You know who you _should _though?" He pointed over to the brown haired daredevil who was busy waving the two over to the next filming spot.

* * *

The destination turned out to be a pair of spiral staircases parallel to and placed fairly close to each other. Except they weren't exactly a spiral in that the design wasn't actually circular. To Elsa it looked like more of a blocky formation, if that made any sense.

"No Elsa, it doesn't make sense." Flynn said while he prepared for his ascent.

"Jerk." she mumbled.

It was Kristoff's turn to film, and Mulan didn't really feel like standing around during the process. She left to walk around the empty shopping center, with Elsa following closely behind.

The dark-haired woman stretched her arms out over her head while looking over at her companion with a smile, "Gee what a great way to spend a school night, am I right?"

Elsa giggled, "Oh you're telling me you're _not _having fun hanging out in a dark and sorta creepy shopping...place?"

"Heh, can't say I am." Honestly if it weren't for that sinking feeling they might get mugged around every corner, it wasn't so bad at night. In fact it was eerily peaceful. Of course when it was bright outside, it looked even better. "So...you thinking of taking Anna here one of these days?"

"Oh absolutely." she was just about to bring up her gripe about not seeing Anna frequently before choosing against it. Bitching to one of her friends about her problems was enough. "I've barely been to this place though, you recommend it?"

"Mmhmm!" Mulan replied positively. "My boyfriend and I were just last weekend and we had an amazing time."

_Wait..._

"H-hold on a minute." Elsa interrupted. "You have a boyfriend?"

"...yes?"

She was thoroughly confused and taken aback by this new piece of information. Looking at her admittedly attractive friend it shouldn't have come as a surprise that she was seeing someone but still. "How did I not know this?"

"You never asked." Mulan replied nonchalantly.

_Gee way to check up on your friends there, asshole._

Elsa let down her head in shame, "Oh...sorry about that."

"Don't be! It's fine, really." her friend replied with a light punch to her arm. Which due to her being as fit as a damn ninja caused it to hurt much more than it probably should have.

She winced and rubbed at the sore spot, "You _do _know you're like freakishly strong right? I'm surprised you haven't tried this parkour stuff before"

"Pfft, and risk my neck with every single stunt? Yeah screw that." Mulan moved closer and lowered her voice, which wasn't really necessary seeing as how no one could probably hear them. "Don't tell Flynn this but I'm actually really impressed he can do this stuff cause it looks really tough. Me though, I think I'll just stick with running and yoga."

Elsa was about to question how she could get such a toned figure doing two things she never really saw as bodybuilding exercises, before realizing there was probably a _lot _she didn't know and decided against it.

Mulan nudged her with her elbow and grinned. "Maybe you should think about doing the same. You in yoga pants and a sports bra? I bet Anna would _love _to see that." she stated evocatively.

_Goddammit why did we tell her about what a dirty mind you have?!_

Elsa was at a lost for words, literally because she was so red in the face that it was hard for her to even open her mouth. She was already regretting telling Mulan the one thing she didn't tell her other two friends. In the meantime, said friend was busy laughing hard at the blonde's reaction.

And because her mind was so damn uncooperative, she couldn't help but think what _Anna _would look like in-

_Oh my fucking god shut up. She's still 14 you perv. Shut up right now. Don't even go there._

Fortunately for her Flynn had yelled out for them to come back so they could hit, according to him, the final spot. Saving her from further embarrassment.

* * *

"You ready down there?!" Flynn cried out.

"Not really! How the hell am I supposed to get _any _footage of you from all the way back here?!" Elsa yelled back.

"Just think of something!"

_Yeah that's totally helpful._

The last place they needed to go to was a wider, flatter staircase that led up to the back of the center which housed a movie theater that could be seen for miles. Aside from a few flickering streetlamps this was the only other place here that was actually lit. Purple and green neon lights drew out the towering and completely unoriginal name of "Arendelle Movie Theatre". The "e" was probably added to make it sound more sophisticated. Aside from all that though, it was actually a beautiful piece of scenery.

Without so much as a cue, Flynn in his bright, neon-green colored getup ("It's my thing! My fans love all the flashy clothes I wear!") started his descent.

Elsa was able to finally find the Record button after fumbling around with the camera for a few seconds, just in time to catch him effortlessly balance across a railing and leap to another one. Even in her momentary state of awe, she forcefully reminded herself to ask Flynn about that one thing they both had in common after this.

Watching him dart around this place like it was second nature was honestly quite a sight. He bounded in each and every direction as if there was a map placed on the floor that only he could see. Every movement was fluid, not a single step was out of line even when it looked like it. And when it _did _look like it, he was able to twist and turn in a way that made it seem like it was all part of the plan. All of it was just fascinating, pleasing, almost like a dance in a way. That momentary state of awe expanded into a prolonged sense of wonder that actually almost _did _make Elsa drop the camera.

In other words if she was straight and he was single, she would absolutely be hitting that.

"Don't die." Mulan said jokingly.

"Wasn't planning on it." Flynn replied as he easily leaped down to the next lower level of stairs.

And just as quickly as it started, his routine was over. He did a back flip for good measure- and just to show off some more- and hollered out into the night sky.

As her other two friends rejoiced their own way by hurriedly walking back to Flynn's car, Elsa walked towards the man instead in order to give him back the camera.

"Thank you!" he exclaimed, still riding off the adrenaline-fueled high. "God this is never _not _fun, I'm telling you. Maybe you should try it sometime."

"I, uh...can't even do a pull-up." Elsa stated pitifully. "Seriously though, it's pretty impressive that _you _can do this kinda stuff."

"Well I try." her friend grinned. "Now come on, let's head back before those guys think something's up."

"Oh! Uh, speaking of something being up..." _Wow, what a horrible segue. _"...can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Okay so...how do I word this...how do you find the time to spend with Rapunzel?"

"Oh is that all? Man, I thought it was gonna be like something super personal." Flynn chuckled. "This is about you and Anna isn't it?"

"Ugh, _yes_." Elsa groaned. "I haven't seen her in like a week and it suuuuuucks..."

The brunette shook his head in disbelief, "A week? Damn, you got it bad."

Well of course she did. If she didn't then there would really be no point to this conversation. Other than, you know, talking to a friend she hadn't talked to in weeks.

"Well this late into the school year, Punzie's hit a really bad case of Senioritis. So we've actually gotten to spend a lot of time with each other than we usually do. Except for right now obviously."

_Should I tell him that's a ridiculous nickname? No, let's not be a bitch._

"But we've been together for like five years now, so I get where you're coming from. Back when she was still a sophomore I barely got to see her."

"Wait, sophomore?" Elsa interrupted. "No offense but how old are you again?"

"22." Flynn stated like it was no big deal. Which it probably shouldn't have been, especially for Elsa who wasn't one to judge anyway. "Anyway Elsa, if you really want to see her, like, frequently then...well it's kinda your responsibility to make time with her."

"What do you mean?"

"It's something I picked up on early in our relationship. Seeing as you're the older one here, and 'technically' the wiser one, it's up to you to actually take the initiative and find time for both of you."

Elsa pondered this as they continued their walk back. Taking the initiative wasn't exactly something she was very comfortable or familiar with doing. When she was going out with Belle it was usually her that did the whole setting up dates stuff and driving them to places, in fact the only time Elsa took action first was that kiss. It seemed now she had no choice but to get a bit more bolder if she wanted to stop bitching about never seeing Anna.

"I guess you have a point." she finally replied. Be more assertive, _make _time instead of trying to hope and pray for it to fall in her lap. Seemed simple in practice but was most likely difficult to actually execute. Still if it meant seeing Anna more, the ends would absolutely justify the means.

"Oh and one more thing, Elsa." His face grew much more serious than usual. Not in a way that he was angry or stern or anything, it felt more like what he had to say next was the most important thing he'd ever say ever. "When you do find time to spend with each other, make each moment count."

And that was how, with the help of her friends' collective wisdom, Elsa was able to score a second date.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't do parkour. I'm not an expert on parkour. The only thing I know about it is what I've seen on Youtube. So please don't kill me.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

As she parked in the seemingly only open parking spot in this unbelievably crowded lot, Elsa couldn't help but to think about just how she had gotten here.

Taking Flynn's word to heart, she decided to call Anna up the very next day and immediately asked for a second date. No segue, no small talk, just an outright declaration. To Anna's credit, she responded well and of course said yes, so things were pretty much okay. That is, until Elsa had asked if she could pick her up this time.

There was a prolonged silence that left the blonde in complete disarray as she wondered how badly she had just overstepped her boundaries and what she needed to say in order to make things right. She had heard this saying once about how the worst thing anyone could say was nothing at all, which seemed pretty damn accurate right then.

But before she could sink deeper into that depressive and pathetic rut, Anna apologized for her silence and said that she was just busy asking her parents if it was okay. Which it was.

So now there they were on a Saturday afternoon, in front of Arendelle Square with Elsa alternating her thoughts between hard to contain excitement, nervousness about "making each moment count", and checking out how stupidly cute Anna looked right now. She was wearing a simple green polo shirt with all the buttons buttoned up and a white skirt that went down to her knees. It fit the redhead so perfectly and put Elsa's flannel shirt and jeans getup to shame. Not to mention she was wearing her hair down again which just completed the whole look.

_Have you told her how amazing she looks yet?_

"Have I told you how amazing you look yet?"

Anna looked at her admiringly, "Yeah, three times actually. And it's still sweet of you say the third time around."

"And it's still _true _the third time around." Elsa replied, not letting the whole saying the same thing three times get to her. "Hell it's a lot better than my outfit, that's for sure."

Anna slapped the blonde on her arm, "Oh stop it, you look great too. Besides the main reason I wore this was so you wouldn't call me a monkey this time."

Unlike Mulan, the redhead thankfully wasn't freakishly strong and the slap actually felt playful this time instead of, well, painful. "Anna I don't think I've really called you a monkey ever."

"You've implied it." she mumbled back.

"And besides..." Elsa giggled, "...a wardrobe change wouldn't stop me from calling you that anyway."

And this time the slap that Elsa had gotten for that _was _a little bit painful. But it was completely worth it to see the baffled expression on her date's face.

Their conversation paused shortly there as they got out of the car and walked towards the massive shopping center that looked a lot better, and a lot less terrifying, in the light.

* * *

Technically Anna didn't lie to her parents. Technically she _was_ going to the movies, just with roughly four less people she said were actually going. _Technically _when they said they couldn't drive her to the square, she was telling the truth that she would just ride along with Elise's sister. And technically when she said that, the knowing glances they gave to her were right on the money although their minds were fixed on the wrong girl.

And technically she was still a bad person for letting her bigger lie grow even larger.

Yes she still needed to come clean, but she had decided that big news like this had to be done in person, not through the phone like how she and Elsa had been talking primarily through. And before Elsa's abrupt phone call earlier that week she was horribly unsure when that face-to-face interaction would be.

Well now she was here, choosing what movie to watch with said girl and trying to focus on when it is that she should drop the bomb.

"Okay so it looks like the only movie that's even close to showing soon is some kid's movie that looks like it probably sucks. You wanna just, you know, wait a bit?" Elsa asked.

Anna shook her head, the sooner they were out of the theater and somewhere more quiet and private the better. "That one sounds fine, unless there's somewhere here you really want to watch?"

"Nothing good actually comes out till June anyway." Elsa looked at her as if she couldn't stand the thought of sitting through almost two hours of children laughing over something stupid like a bunch of annoying, giant Twinkies that talked gibberish. "Are you really sure about this?"

Fortunately Anna could sense the pleading behind her eyes, "Relax Elsa, I'm sure it won't be _that _bad. And if it is, we could always just do something else instead."

She was so sure that Elsa would understand that what she meant was they could ditch the movie and just walk around or something. The red cheeks and mix of shock and confusion on her face showed that that was clearly not the case. And a second later Anna knew why.

"No no no no! I-I didn't mean it like _that. _I just m-meant that we...we could just like ditch the movie or silently bash it from the back of the theater or something. I wasn't implying like we could be one of those couples who just sits in the back and makes out or something and oh my god I'm making this worse...Elsa could you please say something?!"

The awkwardness didn't wear off until after the movie started.

* * *

_Okay so...this date got off to an interesting start._

That was an understatement if there ever was one. What with Anna embarrassing herself twice (one of them technically being Elsa's fault) and the fact that their second date ever consisted of them watching some random kid's movie together it was definitely not the way either of them had expected things to go.

And because luck seemed to adamantly want to stay away from them as far as possible, the two seats they had chosen- back left corner to minimize the chance of them being heard- had a broken arm rest that wouldn't come down no matter what.

"We could always just sit somewhere else." Elsa suggested, looking at the chairs unintrigued.

Anna, who seemed completely unfazed over their predicament, sat down and immediately made herself comfortable. "Don't worry about it, Elsa. A broken arm rest never hurt anyone."

"Yet."

"Fine, yet. But I'm pretty sure it won't hurt _us_." she rolled her eyes and grinned at the still weary blonde. "Now come and sit down with me before I make you."

_Don't smile, she probably doesn't mean it like _that.

The decision to sit or not to sit was an easy one to make. The rational part of her brain, the one that said repeatedly just to sit down and not make things more awkward, beat out the difficult, curious part that wanted to know where exactly Anna would have gone with that.

"God you're so bossy." Elsa scoffed. "You're lucky you're cute or I wouldn't put up with you."

Anna laughed softly as the movie started and the lights dimmed, "Gee you really know how to make a girl feel special."

Five minutes in and she had already lost interest in what was showing, in fact her focus shifted altogether to a different predicament: _where the hell are we supposed to put our hands?_

Without that barrier between the two there really wasn't a lot of options when it came to personal space. She looked towards Anna who looked comfortable and not at all freaking out about how she needed to sit and envied her collected posture. It wasn't like they were complete strangers or something, they were on a date so being this close should be fine. But Elsa being Elsa didn't see it like that, she saw this as some sort of impossible riddle that needed to be solved quickly.

Should she sit as compact as possible with her hands folded on her lap looking like she was afraid to even bump shoulders with Anna? Well no because that would just look ridiculous. They were two dates in, was it okay for her to do that whole generic "reach out and subtly put their arm around the other person" thing? Probably but she needed like exact confirmation that that would be okay and asking if it was okay to put her arm around Anna would just defeat the purpose of being subtle and make her look like a total dork.

In the midst of all that anxiety over arm placement, the wise words of her friend broke through once again. Elsa needed to enjoy her time right here right now, because the next date may not come around for awhile. Time spent over-thinking really stupid stuff was time that could have been used complimenting Anna some more, or talking about how awful the movie was, or...or holding her hand.

_Fucking there we go! Just do that, you idiot._

Without giving it another thought, Elsa gently placed her hand on top of Anna's and silenced the inner turmoil in her mind.

* * *

Maybe it seemed irrational to think so, but still Anna wanted to believe that the older girl could sense her anxiousness and held her hand as a sign that things would be okay. But that would require actually knowing what was wrong, and Anna still hadn't told her yet.

Still the hand was a nice gesture and she smiled gratefully to show her appreciation. "See? I told you the arm rest wouldn't hurt us."

"Yeah you were right." Elsa smiled back. "But god this movie might. I mean who actually finds this funny?"

Anna shrugged, she had stopped paying attention to the screen awhile ago. "Children? I guess that's what passes for humor nowadays for little kids."

"If this is what passes for humor now then I have zero hope for these children."

The jabs and insults continued for the rest of the film and it was surprising how not a single parent had turned around and given them any dirty looks for being rude or disrupting. Probably because they didn't see any value in what they were forced to watch either.

At some point they had gotten comfortable enough with each other that the hand holding had been ditched altogether for a publically acceptable form of cuddling. Which was basically Anna leaning into Elsa with the older girl's arm draped over Anna's shoulders. It was comfortable and oddly soothing in a way, and above all it just felt right.

She smelled something that wasn't apparent before now. It was faint, very faint, and sweet yet striking at the same time. A familiar aroma she had smelled once before on a jacket that was too big for her.

"Are you wearing perfume?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, yeah I am." Elsa replied, shifting slightly to look at the girl nestled in to her. "It was a Christmas gift I got from Elise a couple years ago. I rarely use it though cause like I never find a reason to."

"Hmm, well it smells nice. What is it?" She already knew what the scent was, but it seemed more appropriate to ask that rather than to tell Elsa to keep talking because she liked her voice and how she could feel her body move when she spoke.

"Mint. Like, literally just mint. It came in this green liquid inside a bottle shaped like a leaf."

"Mmm, mint." Anna mumbled as she nuzzled her face into the flannel.

* * *

_My god she is just way too much._

When Elsa had finally gotten the nerve to stop being so nervous and allowed herself to put her arm around Anna, she never expected, well, this. Never expected the nuzzling, or the cute little mumbles, or just this general feeling like they had been going out for two years instead of two weeks. Hell she almost forgot they were even in a theater until the lights turned back on and the credits started to roll.

They weren't in a rush to leave unlike the rest of the people there. Anna had suggested they walk around for a bit, see the shops they missed cause they were busy looking for a movie before. And Elsa, who was completely up for anything that required the two to spend more time together, agreed and led them both out as the crowd thinned out.

The deep orange, cloudless sky, the music playing faintly through outdoor speakers, and the bustling activity painted a different picture than what Elsa had seen the last time she was here. The shops that she could now clearly see ranged from ones that catered to various clothing styles, a hub of sorts for the tech savvy (or for those who just wanted to toy with the smartphones on display), a book store that momentarily brought up bad memories, a hobby shop, and of course tons of restaurants. And Anna wanted to go to all of them.

"Whoa alright now Anna, let's be realistic here. We can't hit _all _of these stores, we don't have time. Besides, like half of them look kinda boring anyway."

"Aww but it'll be fun!" Anna whined. "Pleeeeease, Elsa? I rarely ever get to go here and I don't want this date to end yet."

"Well I don't want it to end either but..." she looked at her phone and frowned. "It's like almost 7:30, I really think we should be heading back soon."

Elsa really didn't want to disappoint her, honestly. But she did have to remember that Anna was still 14, and her curfew was probably a lot less lenient than her own.

But then Anna gave her this incredibly sad look that ate away at her sense of responsibility quickly. It wasn't exactly the moody and dreary kind of sadness that she was all too familiar with it; no it was more like the pouty, hard to say no to kind of sadness.

"Ugh, alright fine!" Elsa finally conceded. "We have time for two places, but I get to pick one of them alright?"

She was tackled almost immediately and heard an elated squeal as Anna hugged her tight. "Thank you thank you _thank you_! And of course you can pick one!"

Elsa could literally feel the wind knock right out of her. "Oof, man you're like way more excited about this than I thought you'd be."

Anna giggled, still embracing the blonde tightly. "Of course I am, I get to spend more time with you."

_Don't lie, you feel the same way too._

* * *

What was Anna doing? There had never been a more appropriate time to finally come clean and what was she doing instead? Browsing a music store, that was admittedly very large and enticing, looking through drumming technique books like she had all but forgotten the most important thing that needed to be done today.

The whole "being ecstatic all the time to hide how ashamed she actually felt" tactic was wearing out and as fascinating as the entire store was, she just couldn't bring herself to completely enjoy it.

Elsa in the meanwhile looked completely lost, like they were on an entirely different planet. She was definitely _not _in her element, which was made even more clear as she flipped through a book of piano sheet music.

"I...I can't tell what I'm looking at here." she said bluntly.

Anna, who had regrettably given up trying to find anything, leaned over to see what was causing the confusion. "Well for starters, you're looking at notes on a page."

"Notes? You mean those little black things that kinda look like spoons?"

"Y-yes. Those things...that look like spoons." This was new, she never had to explain musical notation to someone before. "And every note has a different letter assigned to it that you play on the piano."

"Well then how do you know what letter or note or whatever to play?"

"Usually with beginner books like these they have a thing on the front that shows you what note is which."

Anna watched as the blonde flipped through the pages, secretly delighting in watching her facial expressions as she tried to process this unbelievably foreign concept. It was this amusing mix of frustration, total confusion, and hopelessness.

"I don't...what...okay so what is this hashtag or number sign thingie in front of the letters? And then what's that tiny little b too? And how come they only go up to G?"

This...would be a lengthy explanation. "Er...alright how do I start with this? Let's see..."

Elsa sighed, "You know what I'm pretty sure whatever you say would just make me even more confused. I think for your sake you shouldn't try to keep explaining this."

"Are you sure?" Anna asked, secretly hoping she'd say yes.

"Yeah I'm sure, besides I'd much rather hear you play than me attempt to do like anything musical...ever."

"Alright then. Hey you wanna get outta here now? I'm about done looking around."

"Already? You seemed really excited a few minutes ago when you found this place."

It wasn't like Anna could say that she was getting guiltier every second they spent in here. The sooner they talked, the better. That was what was driving her now that her ecstatic demeanor had all but dissipated.

"I know but it's a lot less impressive on the inside." Which was a lie, there were so many things here she'd be dying to get her hands on when she wasn't feeling like total scum. "Besides, I wanna see which store you pick out."

* * *

The initial plan was to go inside some discount clothing store; not cause Elsa was running low on money but because she always liked the clothing options at these stores, for some strange reason. That _was_ the plan anyway before stumbling across a sign in the window of some sort of metal workshop that caught her eye.

The actual store itself was something drastically different from what else was offered here. Instead of the usual shops' mixtures of purple, green or white this one was a clashing canvas of maroon and jet black. The entrance was shaped to look like it was carved into the store, and there weren't any doors. Just a hole in the wall that led inside. It was easily the loudest store in the square as the whir of machinery and the banging of hammer onto metal could be heard for miles. When Elsa walked inside with a reluctant Anna in tow, she was greeted to the sight of walls adorned from top to bottom with pieces of armor, weaponry, and other assorted items that hung on all the free space they could find. And in the middle of the store were sets of glass display containers lit up to show the various kinds of amazing jewelry that were made here. There actually was a set of open double doors inside, but it led to what she assumed was their actual work station.

"Wow Elsa..." the redhead spoke, no longer anxious. "...I think you chose the better store by far."

"I'm just surprised I missed this place the last time I was here." Elsa replied while looking for someone that might look like they worked here.

"Well that may be because we just opened last week."

The couple turned around and looked up at two behemoths standing before them. One was dressed in a white apron, thick black gloves and a metal helmet that, while lifted up to show a gruff looking face underneath, still covered half his head. The other wore a friendlier face and was dressed in slacks and a navy blue sweater that looked like it would tear off at the slightest amount of force.

"Pleasure to meet you two young ladies." the man with the sweater said cheerily. "My name is Oaken and this is my partner and brother, Marsh. Welcome to Arendelle Metalworks! The finest forge this town has ever seen."

_God why does everyone have such weird names here?_

"It's nice to meet you both too!" Anna exclaimed. "I'm Anna and this is my, uh...erm...Elsa."

_Shit that's right. We haven't exactly talked about what we are yet...fuck that's gonna be an awkward conversation._

The blonde saved her date from further embarrassment by reaching out to shake the owner's hand. "Hi, yeah my name's Elsa. I saw the sign out front and wanted to come in to check this place out."

A second later she thoroughly regretted going for a hand shake because the man turned out to have a much stronger grip than expected. He was oblivious to the wince Elsa gave, but his face had lit up with intrigue when she had mentioned the sign. "Ah yes. I assume you're interested in the deal we have going on right now?"

Elsa nodded, shaking off the pain in her hand.

"Deal? What deal?" Anna asked.

"It's uh...I'll tell you later okay? Why don't you just go look around for a bit." Chances are she probably wasn't gonna tell her, wanting the surprise to remain that way. "I'll call you once I'm talking to...Oaken right?"

"That's right, yes. If you'd follow me to the register I'll be able to help you some more." he started walking, urging Elsa to come with.

At the desk where the register was he set down a sketch pad with a few papers already torn out, a pencil, and a calculator along with another separate form she'd probably have to fill out later.

"So...you are interested in the matching pendants am I correct?" Oaken inquired.

"I am, yeah. But I was wondering...could I maybe order like a custom design?" She was really hoping it was possible because she knew exactly what it should be.

"Well of course you can!" Which was a relief. "Provided you know how to draw it." Which wasn't.

_Well that explains the sketch pad..._

This complicated things. See Elsa was...artistically challenged; even her stick figures came out looking dreadful. She held the pencil like it was poisonous or something, feeling discouraged that her semi-romantic-but-not-really plan would be put to an end due to her poor drawing skills. "I-I'm not so sure this is such a good idea for me to draw, I absolutely suck at it and it'll look really awful when it's done."

"Not to worry." Oaken reassured her. "My brother is an absolute genius at interpreting drawings, he will be able to know exactly what you want no matter how badly the design looks."

That eased her worries a little bit, but just in case Elsa wrote down what the picture was supposed to look like under her poor excuse for a drawing and handed the pad back.

She had expected some sort of weird or confused look, it was after all a strange request, but instead all she got out of the man was a smile and a short chuckle when he looked at the picture. "I'm assuming this is an important symbol to her?" Oaken asked while pointing to the redhead who was trying and failing to engage in a conversation with his brother.

Elsa let out an embarrassed little laugh and rubbed her neck, "Well...it's not _important_ really, but it is something that I hope she'll enjoy."

"I have no doubt that she will. How long have you two been together?"

"About two weeks now."

The man's eyes went wide. "Two weeks? Wow, she must really be something special then."

"Yeah..." Elsa looked at Anna with a content smile on her face. "Yeah she is."

The two negotiated the price for the pendants which she gladly paid for and thanked Oaken for helping her out on this impulsive decision. She promised to be back later that week to pick them up.

* * *

It was dark outside now, the only light that came through were the headlights on Elsa's car that lit up the long road back. There was a silence between the two that shouldn't have been there, but the blonde was probably thinking about something else and Anna...well she was busy trying to find a way to say the one thing she hadn't yet.

There had never been a more perfect time than now, It was quiet, they were alone with zero distractions, and she had no escape in case she at some point chickened out. Usually she was good with words, but how are you supposed to tell someone that you had been lying to them for two weeks and how they probably couldn't stay together because of it? How was she supposed to word this to soften the heartbreak that was about to occur? Anna's best bet, she figured, was to improvise.

"Can I tell you something?" they both said at the same time.

"Er, uh...you first." Anna said, like a coward.

"Okay well it's just...I just wanted to say I really enjoy spending time with you. I don't know what it is but when I'm with you I always feel...happy. No matter what we're doing. Like I could be helping you hide a body and I'd probably still have fun."

"Elsa I don't think I'd ever ask you to-"

"I know. I know. That was just a...really, really bad example. But anyway like I was saying. I know we probably can't spend that much time together what with our schedules both being kinda screwy, but like...I just want you to know that the time we _do_ get, I'm gonna make sure that each moment counts from now on. And I know this is all really unlike me and all cheesy and stuff but I feel like you deserved to know that. I like you Anna. And I think I'll just shut up now because I've run out of ways to keep, you know, talking."

That was, by far, the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her before. Anna was stunned and flattered and amazed and...and dammit there was no way she could tell Elsa now. There was a battle in her mind this whole time between the side of reasoning and honesty, the side that said no matter what she needed to come clean or else things would turn ugly quick; and the side of selfishness and want, which said the lie was better than the truth, the side that said unearned happiness was better than none at all. And the latter had just completely and utterly destroyed the former. If the consequence of telling the truth meant losing Elsa, then the truth was overrated.

Unbeknownst to Anna, they had already made it to her house. Elsa parked the car and looked at her with a relieved smile, "So yeah, that's what I needed to say. What about you?"

"I..." She needed to keep the lie going. So instead of telling Elsa about the rule, she leaned over from her seat and planted a long and drawn out kiss to the blonde who recovered much quicker than the first time. The kiss felt wrong and unearned, and she didn't give a damn. After an eternity, she finally pulled away, keeping the hand that had cupped Elsa's cheek in place. "I...just realized it was my turn, wasn't it?"

And yeah, Anna felt like a coward and a liar. But Elsa was by her side now, and that's what mattered the most.

* * *

**A/N: Anna- 2 Elsa- 2**

**So a bit of bad news here. I kinda...broke my laptop, so instead of fixing it I kinda...sold it. All my writing is now gonna be on a tablet in Google Docs so formatting might be a bit fucky and I honestly don't know how long or short this chapter is. Hopefully this change won't really change much and I'll still be able to update as efficiently as possible.**

**Also I wanted to take the time to say I'm like really sorry if I never reply to your reviews and comments. Don't think I appreciate them, I really do. It's just sometimes I read them and tell myself "Oh yeah, I'll reply to that later." And then I never do. So once again, thanks for all the kind words you guys are sending for this fic and sorry for looking like I'm ignoring again.**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

**A/N: So just a heads up, this chapter may feel a liiiiiiittle bit disjointed. It's a lot more focused on the dialogue than it is on like narration and stuff. Don't worry though, I'll try and make it not so confusing.**

It was just around March, when she and Elsa had roughly been going out for a month, that Anna had decided to finally tell her friends about them. It wasn't that she felt like keeping them out of the loop for so long, she just wanted to be sure that they were in fact together, no doubt in her mind. Albeit, they technically weren't since they hadn't talked and made it official yet, but it had been a month so that was enough of a confirmation, for her at least.

They were all hanging out inside a large, vacant practice room when she broke the news to them.

"Aww!" Lilo exclaimed, happy that her friend had made more progress. Violet simply smiled and said, "That's great, Anna." Always supportive of her friends' decisions no matter what.

And then there was Stitch, who just looked at the rest of them, bewildered. "Wait, so, what about Elise?"

"Elise is a great friend, just like you guys, but I never liked her in that way," Anna confessed for the second time. "I hope you guys aren't mad."

Because they probably would be if they found out about the one other thing she had been hiding from them. The small yet significant little detail that, while slowly losing its ability to make her feel guilt, still had an irritating hold in the back of her mind.

"Of course we're not mad," Violet assured her. "We're happy for you, right guys?"

"So she's still single?" Stitch mused.

Lilo rolled her eyes at her cousin and groaned, "Don't even start."

"What? It's a legitimate question."

"As legitimate as any chance you actually have with her."

"You don't know that."

Anna shook her head, amused, while the two cousins continued to bicker. Now that her announcement was made, there was one other thing she needed to do. Something that could hopefully get rid of the irritant once and for all.

"Hey, Violet could you come with me? I need your help with something."

"Wha-oh. Umm, yeah sure I'll help." Violet stood, smoothed out her dress and walked over. She had been taken by surprise at first due to the straightforwardness and blunt transition from the previous topic.

For all intents and purposes, Anna honestly did need Violet's help with something; while it probably wasn't what her friend was expecting, it would be help nonetheless. And there was a reason she chose Violet. Lilo would no doubt guilt trip her, and Anna would rather avoid that as much as possible. Stitch just wouldn't understand, for multiple reasons. Violet, though, never judged, and was an excellent listener. Most importantly, however, was that she knew how to keep a secret.

The redhead lead the way, peering around every corner and checking behind them constantly, as if she was a secret agent on a journey to a top-secret destination. She had to take them to somewhere they hopefully couldn't be heard from and, with her dad still in the building, she needed to be super careful that this was most definitely the case. Deep in the performing arts building, past the practice rooms, stage, lockers; was an old storage room where they stashed all the marching equipment after the season was over. People sometimes used the place to take naps, and other things, and for now it was still a safe and secret haven for students. After a quick yet thorough scan of the room, in which they found a half full bottle of bubbly, an empty Snapple bottle, an old double chocolate muffin, a Lone Star flag, an old Rock Em' Sock Em', a sombrero made in Salt Lake, and an exceptionally sharp looking brown cactus; it seemed like the coast was clear and they were alone.

"So what's up Anna?" her friend asked.

She shut the door behind them and fidgeted nervously with her hands. "Okay… I need to tell you something, and I need you to promise not to tell anyone."

Violet reacted exactly how Anna suspected she would, with a cautious look on her face and an unsure tone in her voice.

"Umm… I don't think I should-" Anna interrupted her, "Please Violet? I need to get this off my chest and you're an amazing listener." Hopefully the shameless attempt at flattery would get to her.

"I don't..." Violet sighed. "Okay. Alright. I'll listen."

"Thanks." Anna smiled at her before continuing. "So… My parents don't exactly know about me and Elsa yet. And chances are if they did, we probably couldn't be together anymore."

"Oh..." The dark-haired girl looked shocked, and slightly disappointed, which Anna didn't catch. When Violet didn't say anything else, Anna took it as a sign to go on.

"Yeah, they made this rule before we even started dating. Where I can't date someone they don't know, let alone someone who doesn't even go here. Which means if they find out about us…I'm screwed."

Her friend seemed at a loss for words, which Anna thought understandable. After all, this was all laid out for her so suddenly. "Anna that's…" She paused. "What are you going to do?"

Anna sulked down onto a large, brown chest labeled "Percussion Equipment- Need Repairs", it groaned with the added weight on top of it. She shrugged and folded her arms across her lap, mumbling "I… I don't know yet."

Violet sat down with her and placed her hand on Anna's drooping shoulders. "Well… I'm not gonna judge you because that's not my place. But still, if you keep this up it's only gonna get worse. You need to tell _them_ _**and **_Elsa eventually, before it's too late."

So much for the whole 'no guilt-tripping' thing. Of course Anna knew all of this, but she also knew of the fact that there wasn't a 100% guarantee that the truth would make things any better. For her, this was reason enough not to come out and say it. So no, she wouldn't be telling them anytime soon.

"Okay I see your point, I'll tell them soon. Trust me." They both stood up and walked out of the storage room.

"Thank you for listening, Violet."

Anna hugged her friend farewell, hiding her face, concealing the shame and disgust from her own actions.

* * *

Later that week the lies continued.

It was uncanny how, for as long as Anna could remember, there was never any silence at their dinner table. Every day and night she and her parents always had something to talk about, even mundane topics, like the weather, made for entertaining, sometimes even witty conversation. That night, however, she hoped for an exception.

"Anna," her father spoke to her with a straight face. "Your mother and I wanted to talk to you about something."

This didn't sound good; not in the slightest. The reason she was in her current mess was because of her parents needing to talk to her.

"O-oh?" Anna replied. "About?"

"It's nothing bad, don't worry. In fact I was just gonna say that we've noticed you've been a lot...happier lately."

Maybe there really _would_ be an exception.

Anna smiled, her tense muscles relaxed and she could breath easy. "Happier? What do you mean?"

Her parents looked at each other with smiles of their own as if the expression was contagious. No doubt they were using that whole pseudo-mental telepathy thing they've honed over the years. This time it was her mother who spoke.

"You just seem to have been much more cheerful these past couple of months. And I think we know why."

The chances for an exception seemed to have dropped 50% with just one simple sentence.

Anna tried to make her smile fade as subtly as possible, and substituted it with a look of mixed curiosity with a slight hint of apprehension. Her muscles tensed up once again, she could almost feel her heartbeat picking up.

Her mother continued with the same look they had given her when she said she would be getting a ride with Elise's sister to the movies, "Your room isn't as soundproof as you think it is, you know? And then there's the fact that you've been out of the house a lot more than usual, and that jacket that you _said _was Lilo's even though your father and I were smart enough to know that's not true. Anna..."

Her heart was full-on pounding now. Fortunately her chest cavity was soundproof, else she'd be literal living proof of her conviction.

"... You're dating someone, aren't you?"

So much for trying to cover her tracks. The only bright side out of this was that they didn't know for certain who she was dating and were only speculating that she was dating someone at all. To say it was "heavily implied" that she was dating would still be putting it lightly, but even still. So there was a small chance to turn this back around if she phrased her words correctly. Or her lies, as she had gotten used to doing.

"Mom! You guys, I don't… Of course I'm not dating anyone! And even if I was, you both know I would tell you guys first!" Anna emoted in fained disbelief. "You guys are looking into this _way_ too much. Me going out a lot is just a coincidence, trust me. All the phone calls are with Elise, if I sound happier than usual that's probably 'cause she's so positive all the time, it must be rubbing off on me."

It wasn't the most convincing lie, but hopefully the tone of her voice was enough to make it sound sincere. And by the looks on her parents' faces it was clear they weren't expecting their usually calm and collected daughter to get so...defensive.

"Okay okay just...settle down Anna. Obviously, we might have jumped to conclusions here. But it just seemed so obvious that we had to ask." Her father was bright red with embarrassment, when quite honestly he shouldn't be. After all, they were right.

"Well you asked, and trust me when I tell you guys I am _not _dating anyone."

Her father pressed her one final time, one last shot, "Do you promise? Remember, we're okay with you dating, but all we ask is those two simple rules we told you about before."

They were anything but simple, but there was no way Anna was telling them that.

"I know," she proclaimed, an added sigh to fake calming herself down. "I promise."

* * *

Anna had to be a lot more careful from now on, especially with the realization that her parents could vaguely hear the conversations she had with Elsa at night. Which meant a lower speaking voice and avoiding words that may cause suspicion like nicknames or _actual _names or even exclamations or teasing that friends normally wouldn't do with each other.

Elsa, however, didn't seem to have gotten the memo.

_"And how's my little monkey's day been?"_ Elsa asked this as though it were a perfectly normal conversation starter, synonymous to 'How was your day,' apparently. Only Elsa.

"W-wait a second, Elsa. ...monkey?"

There was an undeniable giggle coming from the other end. _"You don't like it? Because I like it. And it fits you so well too, because, like, you're so daring and adventurous and...like bananas."_

"So you're never gonna let it go, are you?" Anna frowned.

_"The shirt? Nope, never. I'm like an elephant, I __**never**__ forget."_

Two could play at this game. "Oh, well then maybe I'll just start calling you 'elephant' then, too. It's only fair."

Elsa gasped, _"You wouldn't."_

"Try me." Anna said smugly. Elsa almost fed her the words to say.

There was a little groan followed by what she assumed was the blonde laying back down on her own bed, defeated. _"Fiiiiine, if the nickname bothers you so much, I just won't call you monkey anymore."_

Hearing Elsa sound so deflated actually made Anna feel a tad bit guilty. Not the level of guilt she had been so acquainted with for some time now, but the softer kind: when you say something and want to immediately take it back. Why couldn't she just let the blonde have her fun?

"Wait wait, no, I'm sorry Elsa. I like it, really I do. It was just...different that's all. I've never had a nickname before and it's kind of you to think of one. Please, don't be sad..."

_"Pfft, give me some credit Anna, I'm not _that _much of a sad sack. At least not anymore."_

Anna looked out her window and sighed, it seemed to be getting noticeably darker, earlier, every day. "I'm sorry, it's just… Sorry. It's been a long day." Lying to her friends and parents always did take a lot out of her. A lot of her dignity, anyway, with an almost crippling shame filling the gaps.

_"Hey, what's wrong? You sound really upset."_

Of course she was, but this was something Elsa couldn't help her with. No matter how well she could probably help. "Thank you, really, but I'm fine now. Just talking with you is making me feel a _whole_ lot better."

_"O-okay...but you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"_

"I know I can." Anna smiled sadly. But would she? Probably not.

This took a fairly depressing turn and the last thing the both of them wanted with the limited time they got together was to be all gloomy, and it was only getting darker. So, there was a definite need for a new topic.

Luckily Anna had just the topic in mind.

"Umm...Elsa, can we talk about us?"

_"Hmm? What about us?"_

Anna stammered because this was something she wasn't well versed in. After all, this was the first relationship she had ever been in.

"See it's just that...well you see...I mean uh...I wanted to know if maybe...maybe..." Why was this so hard?!

_"You want to make us official. Don't you?"_

Anna smacked her forehead with her palm. Elsa always made it sound so casual, so nonchalant. Then again, what could she expect from someone a lot more...experienced?

"Yes...that's what I'm _trying _to say at least," the hopeless redhead groaned.

_"Awww, that's so cute!"_

Anna covered her face with her arm to hide her blush, even though she knew Elsa couldn't see it. "Pleeeeeaase don't do that."

_"This is so adorable! Now I really wish I was with you right now, just to have the chance to see your face. You're probably blushing right now, aren't you?"_

"Stoooooop," she pleaded, mentally cursing the older girl for being psychic and not telling her.

_"Alright alright, I'll stop. Besides, I wanted to talk to you about this too."_

Anna wanted to yell in frustration for being put through that embarrassing ordeal, but with the looming presence of her parents just past her bedroom wall she knew better than to do so. Still, that didn't stop her from making a note to get back at Elsa the next time she saw her.

"You did?" Anna made sure to regain her composure before asking.

_"Yeah, I did."_

"So then...what do you say?"

She heard a sharp exhale. _"I say that we practically _are _official by now anyway. But for some reason we haven't, you know, called each other by like…" _she trailed off. Anna was thankful that Elsa was just as fidgety about the word as she was.

"_Anyway I guess what I'm trying to say is… Do you wanna be my girlfriend, Anna?"_

It was always fascinating how no matter how terrible she felt, no matter how awful her day was, or in this case her whole entire week, just talking to Elsa could make all her problems disappear. Each conversation was like a breath of fresh air amidst the polluted atmosphere that was her life. Granted, that was _partly_ of her own doing, but still.

Before Anna could say yes, a thought struck her; that now was the perfect time to tell Elsa before this got even further convoluted and dramatic. Maybe she wouldn't be so mad, maybe she'd understand why the lies got so out of hand, maybe things would be okay.

And maybe they wouldn't be. Maybe Elsa refuses to forgive her and she becomes disgusted by Anna's actions and wants nothing to do with her anymore. What she would give just to see into the future and find out what would happen were she to tell the truth. If only so this wouldn't be so confusing and frightening for her anymore. But she couldn't see into the future, she couldn't pinpoint just how the Elsa would react, and she couldn't shake the horrible feeling of uncertainty and insecurity that had a strong hold on her psyche.

However, there was one thing she could do. One thing that would silence the doubts, at least for the time being, and let her be happy just once.

The moonlight was shining through her window now. Anna leaned up against the window, gazing out, as she smiled and said, "Of course I do, Elsa."

**A/N: Also I have a beta now who is clearly a lot better at grammar and...words than I am. **


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Whichever chinese proverb said 'patience is a virtue', the man had clearly never had a 14 year old girlfriend whom they had only seen once in almost two months. In reality that man was likely a monk, thus celibate. Which meant no wives, or children, or anything like that. So really what did they know?

March had come and gone, and soon enough they found themselves in the thick of April. Spring was finally starting to settle in; warm, light rains and calm overcast skies replaced the stormy, harsh winds of winter. On especially sunny days, it shone down on the trees and flowers. Shuffling off the winter frost, the plants budded anew, with new, freshly green leaves and vivid petals of all sorts.

And Elsa wasn't enjoying any of it.

Staring out a restaurant window, scowling at a tree as if it had wronged her somehow, she sat bitter, chewing on the remains of a straw. One hand was busy being used to prop up the plastic, emergency-induction-port for its prolonged torture. With her other hand she tapped restlessly on the edge of the table. Kristoff was being completely ignored, in favor of Elsa festering in her own sadness, brooding; wasting both his _and_ her free time.

_It's not fair. It's not fucking fair._

How is it that she and Anna had not found any time whatsoever since their second date to see each other again? How were their schedules so inflexible that this could happen? These were two questions that Elsa was desperate to find the answers to, every day they were apart. Well…maybe not _every_ day, but the number was big enough to justify this sort of behavior.

"Hey… Earth to Elsa, you there?"

She momentarily put her chewing on pause, and shifted her gaze back to the irked blonde sitting in front of her. "Yeah…yeah I'm sorry, Kristoff. I've just got like a lot of stuff on my mind."

"That bad, huh?" Kristoff asked, pressing her despite that weak attempt at a dismissal.

"What?"

"How long has it been since you two last saw each other?"

Elsa shifted further into her faded red leather seat, her eyes fixated on the tiled ceiling. She let out a sigh as she said "Thirty-three days."

_You're so weird for knowing the exact number._

"So a month then."

"Almost two," she replied, holding up two limp fingers in front of his face.

"It's a month and two days, Elsa. Not anywhere near two months." Even though she was positioned at an angle where she couldn't see his face, it was obvious in his tone that he was annoyed at Elsa's hopelessness. "Come on now, it can't be _that _bad."

Oh if only he knew.

Sure the first week or so was fairly normal, Elsa knew that, being apart for so long wasn't new to her. But more days passed, and no matter how many times they tried to get together, something always came up. Maybe it was Anna who had a really important test, and maybe it was Elsa. Or sometimes they _did _find a suitable day but something came up that was out of their hands to change. But that's okay, she was keeping it together and acting as if nothing was wrong and she seemed fine.

Then came day twenty: the day that the withdrawal symptoms started. In public Elsa was able to control herself by gnawing on pencils or straws, getting lost in her thoughts, and giving dirty looks to inanimate objects; but in private, when she was alone, things got bad. Every day she would shout and grovel pitifully into her pillow, and then apologize right afterwards to said pillow. By day twenty five the fluffy stress reliever took on a different use: a… temporary substitute for Anna.

After each nightly phone call, Elsa would hold the pillow tightly across her chest, hoping that the impossible would happen. In the same way that pressure was required to turn coal to diamond, she would squeeze the pillow as hard as she possibly could, just hoping for it to be Anna. And every morning she would wake up disappointed but unsurprised. She needed Anna, and the level of need was worryingly high. It was on the cusp of becoming addictive.

Snuggling a pillow wasn't enough, she wanted more. Her imagination had begun to run rampant as it conjured visions of the two being in each other's presence and never leaving the other's side; she envisioned hand holding, hugs, kisses. At night though, when she was alone in her bed, the filter was off and the scenes became far more intimate. Elsa imagined them both, alone in her room, with the moonlight peering through her curtains as they did things that felt so real, so strong and _right_ that...well needless to say her wrist was sore in the morning.

"It's pretty bad..." Elsa didn't elaborate, only stating this because he neede an answer.

"Look, distance is good for a relationship," Kristoff advised her. "It's like a test. If you two can survive being apart for so long, then you can survive anything."

"And you would know this how?" she teased, although her grumpiness made it sound much snarkier.

"Okay ouch. I know I've hit a dry spell but I've been in enough relationships that I feel like I know what I'm talking about here." Kristoff leaned over the booth and frowned at the blonde. "Or would you rather I just tell you that you're both doomed and should break up now?"

"No..." _God knows you've been saying that a lot to yourself either way._

"Well are you gonna let me be a good friend then?"

Elsa frowned as well but couldn't look her friend in the eye. Partially because he was completely invading her personal space, but mostly because his expression was oddly intimidating, like a parent waiting silently for their baby to eat their food. And given how much complaining she was doing, she pretty much felt like a child anyway.

"Fine." she grumbled.

"Thank you," Kristoff said exasperatedly as he sat back. "And as a good friend I'm telling you that you'll be okay. Both of you."

"And I believe you, or at least I want to, but...it just sucks, you know?" Elsa took a napkin out of the container and began to rip it to shreds, figuring she had already done enough to her straw.

"You know people need those, right?"

"Shut up, it's therapeutic."

"How is that..." Kristoff shook his head. "Never mind. But yeah I know it sucks but think about it like this: the semester ends in a month. If you don't see her from now until then, well at least you've got her to yourself for an entire summer."

_He does have a point._

But it didn't matter to her. "But that's so far awaaaaaay," Elsa continued to whine.

He sighed, looking physically close to giving up on supporting a friend who clearly just wanted someone to hear them bitch and moan. "Oh my god you are so difficult."

_Come on Elsa, stop being an ass and show him you actually appreciate his help._

"No no, I'm listening to what you're saying and I get it but just..." she halted her attack on the thin piece of paper and crossed her arms on the table, burying her face in between them. "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck," she groaned. And she had been doing so well with keeping her composure in public before.

_Wow you suck at this._

A silence had set for a moment as Kristoff rolled his eyes and crossed his own arms over his chest, waiting for his friend to sit back up and stop wallowing in self-pity.

"You done yet?"

"Just give me a few...hours." she groveled.

"I don't think you have a few hours, the guys are gonna be here soon and chances are they're gonna wonder why you look like I drugged you-"

"Who do they think you are, Bill Cosby? You're nowhere near that funny."

"-with a drug that makes you the living embodiment of hopelessness. Better?"

Elsa would have replied, but before she could her phone piped in. She frantically fished it out of her pocket and brought it into her view. Maybe it was from Anna, informing Elsa that the school had burnt up in a huge fire, that they were let out for the rest of the year and they could spend as much time together as possible.

_Who even thinks about stuff like that?_

She sighed disappointedly, finally getting up. "It's from my sister. I need to go and pick her up now even though she's not supposed to be done for like another half hour."

"Wait, seriously? But what about Flynn and Mulan?" Kristoff asked.

She scooped up the ridiculous amount of trash at the booth, even though they hadn't even eaten yet, and dumped it in the nearest bin. "Just tell them I'm sorry for bailing."

* * *

"Okay so if I cross-multiply these two and divide that, it'll get me...x=7, right? ...Anna? You there?"

Anna shook her head, snapping herself out of her dismal trance and nodded apologetically at her blonde companion. "Y-yeah, sorry I'm...here. And yeah that should be right. I think."

Elise wasn't letting her off that easily. She tilted her head and gave a concerned look to the redhead. "Are you okay? I've never seen you this spaced out before."

"I'm fine, really. Just...tired I guess." Anna lied, something she was all too familiar yet dangerously comfortable with.

The truth was that Elsa wasn't the only one suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Granted, Anna's were less severe but they were still there. She didn't argue with pillows, for her it was usually letting her mind drift to this world where she was with her girlfriend all the time and no one could separate them for any reason. At some point she would come back down to reality, back to disappointment, and when people would ask if she was okay she would just avoid or dismiss the question. As she had just done.

Elise sighed as she scanned the textbook for her next problem. "You and Elsa, I swear. You've both been really out of it lately."

That got her attention in a hurry. Of all the times they talked together on the phone, she had never picked up any signs for worry. "Uh wh-what do you mean? What's wrong with Elsa?"

"She's fine...ish. I mean I can hear her sometimes in her room just like arguing with someone. Have you two been fighting lately?"

Anna felt like she had been hit in the chest by a frigid blast of ice. It was an oddly specific feelling, she hated experiencing it, and it only occurred when Elsa was somehow related.

"Never! She always sounds fine on the phone. I never knew..."

Elise noted the look of concern on her friend's face and put an arm around her shoulder. "Hey I'm sure it's nothing. We're sisters, we tell each other everything. If something was wrong I would know."

"I guess but..." Anna sighed and looked down at the ground dejectedly. Maybe Elise was right and her sister was okay, but that still wasn't enough of a consolation. She needed to see for herself that Elsa was okay, or rather she just needed to _see _her.

Her inexperience with relationships showed horribly in these kinds of situations. Was this much time apart good for them? Was it normal? Anna didn't know and that scared her more with each day that passed when she wasn't with her. The only bright side to this was that maybe, just maybe, Elsa was keeping it together. And if she could do it, then there was no reason Anna couldn't.

But that still didn't change the fact that her need to see her girlfriend was bordering on codependency.

"I think I know a way to cheer you both up," Elise said as she pulled out her phone.

Anna scooted closer but still kept her distance as to not pry too much into the blonde's personal space. She would give anything just to not be so gloomy all the time. "How?"

Elise turned and gave her an assuring grin. "By cashing in that favor I owed you."

For a second Anna had no idea what she was talking about, but then she remembered that moment from the start of the semester. That fateful walk towards her now friend, and the favor she never expected or really required to be paid back at any point. After all, Elise had already paid it off in the best way by getting her closer to Elsa, and for being the catalyst for the start of their relationship.

"And how are you gonna pay it ba-"

"Done!" Elise interrupted as she put away her phone. "Now it's your turn."

"My turn? What are you talking about?"

"You need to text your parents." she replied, sounding more like a requirement than a suggestion. "Say that you need them to pick you up at our house again."

"What do you-" It was then that Anna finally understood what Elise was trying to do. And with that realization came a smile bright enough to melt the ice from before. "Oh my god."

"You're welcome."

Anna was so overwhelmed by this feeling of joy that she embraced Elise so hard she heard an audible sharp exhale. A feeling near unfamiliar to her at this point, weeks had passed since she last felt this way.

Finally. After waiting for so long, Anna was finally going to be able to see Elsa again. And she didn't care if they were together for thirty minutes or five, all that mattered was that they _would _be together again soon.

Now there was the matter of what she would say, and what she would do.

* * *

**A/N: Ha see?! Elise totally has a purpose in this story other than just cause I like the name Elise. **


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

**A/N: So remember that one time I kinda sorta gave a warning that the story was gonna get a bit mature in that one chapter awhile back? Yeah...I'm gonna go ahead and give that warning again.**

_3:15_

Elsa groaned and rolled her eyes. She waited anxiously inside of her car with the windows rolled down, hearing the annoyingly cheerful voices of high schoolers rejoicing as the end of the school year drew closer. The campus wasn't exactly a place she looked back on with fond memories before, but now it held an even less significant place in her heart. It was almost painful to know the one place Anna would always be, and to be there at the one time she knew she wouldn't.

Admittedly there wasn't an absolute guarantee that the redhead wasn't still roaming around the halls during this time, Elsa had just assumed so. But the assumption was convincing enough for her to stay put rather than actively look for her girlfriend she missed terribly.

She sunk into her leather seat as a stray gust of wind fluttered through the car. "Where _are_ you?" the blonde said to the phone she was still holding up, not entirely sure who she was talking about. "And why am I getting serious deja vu right now?"

Sitting here was torture, uncomfortable and yet completely voluntary torture. After all, the weather was decent enough that she didn't really need to succumb to this dull and dreary interior. Of course, she _wouldn't _do that; self-loathing and apathy were much stronger enforcers than a butterfly touching down on a daisy. Waiting was a better option; and the sooner Elise got in the car, the sooner Elsa could go home and sleep...among other things she ofttimes did in her bed.

_Come on now, it's only a month. You can survive one more month, right?_

Absolutely...of course...possibly...maybe. Elsa didn't know.

Before she could continue the pity party, along with the moaning and griping from Anna not being there with her to relieve her of her loneliness(_Yeah you totally want her to relieve you, alright_): the car door opened behind her. Elsa found it strange, as Elise threw her bag inside and sat down in the back seat, smiling at her older sister through the rear view mirror.

"Uh sis, what are you doing?"

"Paying off my debt. You can thank me later." Elise said as she pulled on her seatbelt.

_Debt? What the hell is she talking about?_

Elsa had turned around to question her younger sister more when she heard the passenger door open. Thinking an attack was imminent, she quickly turned back around to confront the intruder. Indeed, she _was _attacked, by a pair of soft, familiar lips connecting with and silencing her own. Before Elsa could even register this rather unexpected turn of events, the lips pulled away to reveal the amused looking owner biting her lip at the unsuspecting blonde.

_Has it already been a month?_

* * *

While Elise explained the situation, the couple were busy staring at one another as if there wasn't even a third person in the car, maybe there wasn't even a car either. They were lost in their own private world, something the two had been wanting for quite some time but obtained it at an inopportune time. Words weren't exchanged, only looks of carefree joy, which wasn't the brightest idea now that Elsa thought about it. After all, she still had to drive.

She snapped her focus back on to the road just as the incoming light turned red, slamming the brakes hard enough to nearly give them all whiplash.

"Gah! Yeesh Elsa, what's going on up there?" Elise asked as she picked up her bag and its spilled contents off the floor. "Actually, nevermind, I don't want to know."

"Oh shut up." Elsa retorted, knowing full well what her sister implied.

Anna in the meanwhile was once again amused by her girlfriend's antics and giggled, completely unfazed by the hard brake. In fact, she joined in on the teasing rather than look away embarrassed or meek. "Come on, Elsa. I see you again after a month and you're already trying to kill me?"

"That's not..." Elsa huffed, unamused by the double team. "That's the one reason I _wouldn't _want to kill you."

_Just stop while you're behind. _

"Awww! That's so sweet!" Anna teased while leaning over to kiss the blonde's flustered cheek. When she bit her ear instead, Elsa got chills. Anna completely forgot that the blonde was trying her best to keep them from driving into a ditch. One so deep they wouldn't be able to get out of it. Though that wouldn't be so bad, she'd have Anna at least. Then again, her sister as well...

"Ick, okay yeah, I'm still trying to get used to that. Get a room, you two," her sister piped in after an audible gag.

Elsa had given up on the idea that she could ever really stay mad at Anna for longer than five seconds, especially not for teasing and a seductive kiss. As the redhead sat back into her own chair, she waited this time till they were fully stopped at a red light to reply.

She turned towards the succubus in human clothes and mumbled out, "You're so lucky you're cute."

Anna winked, and sat back in her seat satisfied.

A distorted voice on the radio spoke a single, incoherent word for the intro to a hollow, simplistic beat that Elsa was only partially familiar with. The other two were much more so, and it was their reaction that reminded Elsa of the fact that they were still teenaged girls. Anna especially sometimes showed flashes of maturity allowing Elsa to forget they were four years apart.

"Oh my god I love this song! Turn it up!" Elise demanded excitedly.

With a roll of her eyes, Elsa complied and turned the dial as the music increased in volume and further flooded their ears. And as it did, the tune became much more familiar to her. It was one of the few pop songs she knew due to Elise, who in her words wanted to "expand her awful music taste."

Anna clutched her hands to her chest as she listened dreamily to the music. "God yes, this song is so good. Elsa sing it with me!"

_Ah shit._

Elsa shifted in her seat as she fixed her gaze on the road and away from the redhead as best as she could, not wanting her face to betray her words. "Oh, uh...gee I would but I don't...know this song."

"Yes you do, I showed it to you like a month ago." her sister added traitorously.

_Goddammit Elise._

It wasn't as if she didn't know the lyrics, they were simple enough to remember and she and Elise used to sing it all the time when it came up before it fizzled out of popularity and stopped being played on the radio every hour. It was just that...that...well if she was honest, Elsa didn't really know _why _she was protesting this idea. It was probably just instinct, her initial reaction when people told her to do things was usually to find a way to get out of doing the thing. But that instinct to always say no to other people clashed with her other instinct to never say no to Anna, which caused some familiar internal conflict.

"Come on Elsa, it'll be fun." Anna begged. From the corner of her eye she could see the sickeningly adorable look the younger girl was flashing, and that instinct to never say no to her was starting to win out. "Here, I'll start," Anna promised.

"Ugh, fine." Elsa added quickly before the first verse started, still slightly unsure. But that uncertainty was kicked to the curb immediately when Anna started to sing.

"_You lift my heart up when the rest of me is down. You, you enchant me even when you're not around."_ Her voice was unbelievably cute. It was like her singing was this living embodiment of a litter of puppies frolicking in a field of cotton candy on a bright, sunny day with a double rainbow in the sky. Just that high a level of cuteness.

_My god why is she a drummer? She'd make a killing singing pop songs of her own._

Elsa had to actively remind herself now to focus on the damn road because she just could not get over the wondrous sound coming from the girl next to her. She looked at her rear view mirror and noticed the same incredulous look on her sister.

Anna continued, _"If there are boundaries, I will try to knock them down. I'm latching on babe, now I know what I have found." _There was a subtle flare on the word "babe" along with a glance towards Elsa. It was less suggestive than it should have been given that it came from, well, Anna. She raised an eyebrow as if to signal to the blonde that it was her turn.

_There is no way in hell you can top that._

Truth be told Elsa was a decent singer, at least that's what she told herself in the car and in the shower. And truth be told, she was much more concerned about getting the lyrics wrong than topping Anna's performance. After all this wasn't a competition, just an impromptu duet with her girlfriend while her sister watched them both, most likely entertained.

The interlude ended and Elsa started to sing her part, trying to match the same emotion and feel that Anna displayed, "_I feel we're close enough. Could I lock in your love?" _It was then that she realized these lyrics were ridiculously appropriate to their situation. "_I feel we're close enough. Could I lock in your love?"_

Very very appropriate.

The chorus was coming up and, not wanting to ruin this moment by saying something stupid, Elsa smiled at the younger girl and slightly nudged her head towards the radio to imply that she didn't want to sing this next part alone. Besides, what would a duet be without their two voices intertwining to showcase how gushingly perfect they were for each other? Anna, who had been looking up at the blonde with a pleased expression, nodded as well. The couple tried their best to be as harmonious as possible, each trying not to overpower the other in their singing. And maybe it was a bit too much for just a simple pop song, but they didn't care in the slightest. Because it had been a month, and whatever they did with the limited time they had would be done together.

"_Now I've got you in my space, I won't let go of you. Got you shackled in my embrace, I'm latching on to you."_

* * *

"Well I'll leave you two lovebirds alone till Anna's parents get here to pick her up. Keep it PG okay? I wanna be able to sleep at night." Elise bounded up the stairs to her room, no doubt with a pleased grin on her face, leaving the two at the bottom of the stair case. Not until she heard the door to her sister's room shut did Elsa, whose pale complexion magnified the redness on her cheeks, finally speak.

"Oh my god, she is so dead."

"You're so murder-happy today." Anna joked as she took a couple steps up the stairs, "So where do you wanna go? Your room?"

Of course Elsa had to say no, for a few reasons. The first of them being the fact that she had this irrational fear that Anna may somehow find out through psychic powers or something all the shameful things that had been going on in her bedroom over the past thirty-three days. And if that happened, then there was the even more irrational idea that Anna would break up with her on the spot because of it. So as illogical as it sounded, her room was still the last place she wanted them both to be in. But Elsa didn't say no.

"Uh...sure. Why not?"

_I hate you._

"Great! Lead the way," Anna said, offering her hand. Elsa took it with slight reluctance. The stairs creaked under the weight of both girls as they ascended up to the second floor and toward her room, marked with an "E1" written in permanent blue marker that Elsa had put on the door when she was still a kid. Elise had a pink "E0" written on hers due to her five year old brain arguing that zero was better and so much cooler than the number one which was a number for stupid jerks. The cheesy marking was another reason Elsa didn't want Anna to go to her room in the first place.

Reason number three would be heavily apparent as soon as Elsa opened her door. The mental and emotional tornado of hers had projected itself inside her room, leaving in its wake a catastrophic mess of dirty laundry, scattered bed sheets, and assorted school work that she was all deathly ashamed of.

If anyone else had asked to see her room, Elsa would have adamantly redirected them to literally anywhere else. Even their basement which hadn't been touched since New Year's Eve. Two years ago. But this wasn't anyone else, this was Anna. Someone she hadn't seen in months (_One month, let's not be overdramatic now._) Someone who was just impossible to say no to, and someone who...wasn't reacting as badly to the sight as she thought she would.

"Huh," was all Anna said as she scanned the room. "I was expecting your room to look a lot different."

_You mean cleaner?_

"You mean cleaner?"

"Well I wasn't going to...I mean...I didn't…" Anna sighed. "Okay yeah, cleaner. I mean yeesh Elsa, it's like some sort of animal went nuts in here. Like a...a…"

"Monkey?" Elsa grinned sadly, unable to help herself even if she was feeling horrible about letting this be her girlfriend's first impression of her room.

"Oh don't even start," Anna replied with a grin of her own. She walked further inside, sidestepping past a pile of flannel shirts and laying down on the unmade bed. The blanket was bundled up at the foot and a pillow had somehow shuffled out of its case and found itself halfway inside her closet. "Well it's not so bad in here, at least your bed is comfy."

_Oh if only you knew…_

No matter how positive a spin Anna was trying to put on this, Elsa was just not having any of it. She pushed herself off of the still open door and walked over to the bed somberly, clutching her left elbow. "It's okay Anna, you don't have to make excuses for me."

"I'm not making..." Anna sighed and lifted her right hand off the bed and out towards Elsa. "Come here," she spoke sternly.

The moody blonde would have been more difficult about this if it wasn't for the fact that she was already going to join her on the bed anyway. The bed groaned sadly with the added weight.

Anna turned on her side and smiled at Elsa, who kept her hands folded across her stomach. "Tell me about your month."

Elsa followed suit and turned on her side, but she didn't return the smile. There was a confused look on her face with a shadow of apprehension. A tiny yet growing part of her knew what Anna was really trying to say. "Month? We talk to each other on the phone like every night, you know how my month's been."

Anna's face reverted back to its stern demeanor. "You know what I mean."

_Dammit. _Elsa looked away, not at all confident in how she was going to word how terrible these thirty-three days were. "It's... It hasn't been good. And I know you can already kinda see how bad it got but I'm telling you it's a lot worse than, well, this." She gestured towards the mess behind her. "I don't really want to relive it."

"Why not? I want to know what happened." Anna pushed.

"Please don't."

"But I just-"

"I said no!" Elsa snapped, and she immediately regretted it when she saw the pained expression flash across the younger girl's face, replaced quickly with one full of guilt. Guilt that should have been felt by Elsa instead.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just that...I was worried about you and...I'm sorry."

_Look what you did, you fucking asshole._

"No no no, Anna don't apologize you did nothing wrong. You were just looking out for me and I was being a bitch." Elsa saw that words wouldn't be enough when Anna didn't respond right away. A hand on her shoulder didn't seem sincere enough and too cliche so she tried something else; she tucked a stray hair away from the younger girl's face and gently placed her palm on her freckled cheek. Maybe that would do something.

After a few more moments of silence, with Anna not even looking her in the eye, Elsa got seriously worried. Maybe that outburst had affected her a lot more than she assumed, and she didn't have a clue as to how to make things right again. Things were never _this_ tense with Belle, at least up until the end, so she never learned how to thoroughly apologize for a screw-up like this.

"Anna? You alright?" she tried asking.

Finally there was a sign of life as the redhead looked back up and whispered with what seemed like complete seriousness, "Are you on your period?"

Just like that all the tension dissipated, and it was as if the month apart had never even happened. Elsa burst out into a laughing fit so hard she thought her stomach would explode, and Anna joined in almost immediately. So there they were: two girls on a bed, in a trashed room, coming out of a tense and uncomfortable silence, and laughing at a period joke.

"Oh my god." Elsa said after finding a moment to breath and compose herself. "You are such a dork."

Anna settled down as well and grinned, no doubt she was proud of herself for defusing the situation. "I know, but I'm your dork." she said while placing her hand over the one still on her cheek.

It was a cute gesture, and just endeared Anna that much more to the older girl. She sighed contently, "Honestly, I don't know how I survived this long without you."

_You technically didn't._

"And...again, I'm sorry for snapping at you."

"Don't be. I was being pushy because I thought it would help for some reason." Anna assured.

Elsa brushed her thumb over a prominent spot of freckles near Anna's nose and smiled. "Well you're helping out a lot right now."

_Isn't this the setup to like most porn?_

Elsa was going to continue, but her mind caught her off guard with that comment. And now the whole cheek-rubbing thing was as awkward as the first time she had touched Anna's shoulder. She pulled her hand back slowly as to not raise any suspicion.

"Aww, I was enjoying that." Anna pouted.

She wanted so badly to tell Anna to stop talking like that, but that would just open up a lot more questions she wasn't ready to answer. Instead all Elsa said was "My hand was falling asleep, sorry."

"Hmmph. Hey what are you doing next Friday?" Anna asked, no longer disappointed by the absence of touch.

Elsa looked up, pondering her schedule. "Next Friday? Hmm...I don't think I have anything planned that day."

"Good. Wanna come to my concert?"

Well what else was she supposed to say? "Sure. But wait, why didn't you tell me about this before?"

Anna shrugged, sort of hard to do seeing as one of her shoulders was dug into the mattress. "Just slipped my mind, I guess."

"Again, we talk to each other every night. Why am I just hearing about this now?"

"Alright you caught me, I have a terrible memory okay? I'm not like you, Ms. Elephant."

"Oh don't even start."

The redhead laughed that sweet, innocent laugh of hers and for some reason that was...doing things for Elsa. At first she didn't know why, but it was slowly, and regrettably, starting to dawn on her. It was the one thing she was worried would happen when the two were together again: the fact that she had zero impulse control after being apart from Anna for so long.

_Goddammit get ahold of yourself. This isn't one of your sick fantasies._

No, but it _was_ reminiscent of the most dominant scenario for most of them. If they were anywhere else, preferably somewhere more public, things would probably be different. But as it stood they were alone for an indefinite amount of time and in the most unmistakably intimate position they had ever been in.

Still, Elsa at least needed to try and conceal the carnal side of her brain that wanted to take over. For both their sakes.

Anna looked at her with a smile as innocent as her laugh, "So...what do you wanna do now?"

Well so much for trying.

With almost a sense of urgency, Elsa propped herself up on her elbow, put her hand back on Anna's cheek, and closed the distance between them. She heard a quick little yelp as their lips came together that fueled that fiery pit of desire inside of her.

_Okay yeah this is totally a porno I'm out of here. Good luck, don't do anything stupid._

It was a bit too late for that. Elsa felt a satisfied moan escape her throat as she lost herself in the bliss. She almost forgot how soft Anna's lips were and how they fit so perfectly with hers, like two pieces of a puzzle heading to 1/2 base, like they were always destined to be together like this. As corny as that sounded.

The fire was growing stronger, which meant Elsa was growing bolder. She pulled away briefly to get some air, looking down at the girl underneath her. "Anna...are...do you..."

Anna responded by grabbing ahold of the back of Elsa's neck and pulling herself up to return the kiss. She didn't moan as shamefully as Elsa did, hers was more like this incredibly content sigh. Like they were close to the end of some romantic comedy and the couple had finally resolved their differences and got back together.

Still it was enough to stoke the flames even more as Elsa pressed her right hand into the bed to steady them both; her left hand, that had been continuing its praise over Anna's freckles, traveled down to rest on the redhead's hips, grasping at the fabric of her shirt.

Another hand clasped with the one already on the back of her neck and she felt them both travel down towards her back, arms resting against her shoulder blades. It was like Anna was hanging off of her like a...monkey. No. Not a monkey. The last thing Elsa wanted to imagine was her making out with a monkey.

The longer this went on, the more lustful Elsa became, and the more daring her actions started to get. Without looking for approval, she lifted up a part of Anna's shirt and placed her hand directly on the skin underneath, sending shockwaves tingling from her fingertips to her spine that were amplified when she felt a whimper come from the younger girl. Self-control still remained inside of her somewhere and she didn't even attempt to move her hand any lower or higher, content with its position right at Anna's hip.

Elsa pulled away once again; not to ask if what she was doing was okay, but to merely look at the gorgeous girl underneath her for a moment. She wanted to soak in all of what was happening, to make sure it was a memory neither of them would ever forget.

And Anna, so sweet and so pure, looked up with pleading eyes and a soft bite on her bottom lip and said "Why'd you stop?"

And just like that, Elsa was back on the attack. This time though, with the fire inside her now large enough to burn down a forest, she shifted her focus away from Anna's lips and worshipped the rest of her beautiful face. Starting first with her flushed cheeks, then moving to her jaw, before going further down and pressing her lips to the redhead's neck, trying to find the spot that would send her reeling.

A few kisses more and she finally found it, evident by the way Anna raised her hips up off the bed and let out a strangled cry. Elsa was determined to hear that noise again and again and again.

And she would have, if it wasn't for a sharp knock on the door she had forgot to lock.

* * *

**A/N: Anna- 4 Elsa- 4**

**Oh look at that they're still, heheh, neck and neck.**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

**A/N: Yeah I know it was evil of me to leave on a cliffhanger and then not update for weeks. But on the bright side...I updated it now? Anyway enjoy this chapter, you're gonna love it.**

* * *

Elsa immediately retreated from the soft, kiss-stained curve of Anna's neck and looked up; frantic eyes meeting with the exasperated ones of her sister, leaning on the cream-colored door with her arms crossed over her chest. Her mind spoke the words her mouth was too stunned to say out loud.

_Oh fuck, how long has she been standing there?_

Elise let out an irritated sigh, directed at both the couple on the bed and herself, probably regretting coming into the room at all. "Dammit guys, I told you to keep it PG."

Elsa tried her best to make her mouth produce any discernible sounds, but failed. She looked back down at the redhead who was still regaining her composure. Usually in these types of situations Anna would probably be the one who would come up with some sort of witty retort and they'd all just laugh it off, but right now she was as useless as Elsa was.

"Ugh. Anyway Anna your parents are here." Elise spoke after not getting a proper response from either of them. "I'll just tell them you're coming."

And with that double entendre she made her leave.

They didn't say a word to each other at first. Elsa sat up and scooted closer to the foot of the bed while Anna straightened out her shirt and patted down her hair to make it look socially acceptable again. But through all these awkward movements, they didn't say a word. Elsa was certain that _she_ needed to say something, seeing as she was the initiator of...all this, but she just couldn't find the right words to say.

Well actually there were two words she did want to say but couldn't: "I'm sorry." What they did, what _she _did, probably overstepped a massive amount of boundaries they had both set up in order to keep their relationship "natural", and this was dawning on her more the longer they stayed silent.

All she needed was confirmation that either things were still okay between them, or that things weren't. And while Elsa felt prepared for either outcome, she was obviously hoping that it was the former. Just so she could ease her conscience.

Finally a noise was made when the bed groaned as Anna got off of it, her hands timidly folding across her chest. Elsa scanned the redhead's face to see if there was even a sliver of regret or remorse, promising to apologize profusely if there was. But there wasn't. There were cheeks flushed with red, lips curled up into a smile that would have been missed had Elsa not been so close to her, and eyes fixed on the carpeted floor, but there was no regret.

"So, uh...I'll talk to you tonight?" Anna muttered, still looking down at the ground.

_Oh thank god, she doesn't hate you._

Elsa flashed a small, relieved smile and gingerly placed her hands on the younger girl's shoulders she assumed to be highly sensitive at the moment. She said two words she knew she _could _say: "Of course."

* * *

"Anna you know I don't usually mind you staying at a friend's house, but you really should have told your mom and I a lot sooner."

"Sorry about that dad." Anna replied as she tossed her bag inside the back her parent's car and made her way in soon afterwards. "It was a bit of a last minute thing."

She settled herself inside and pulled down the seatbelt until she heard a click. The text that her dad got obviously didn't contain the whole truth, all she said was that she was gonna be at Elise's house again and that her older sister would be driving them there. But at least the whole "last minute" thing was truthful.

Her dad adjusted the rear view mirror to catch his daughter's gaze, who looked back with the most apologetic look she could muster for the unknowing lie. "Alright well...just make sure to let us know earlier next time, okay?"

Anna nodded, "I will." The less they dwelled on this topic, the better.

"You ready to go, honey?" her mom leaned over from the passenger seat and asked with a genuine, motherly smile. The smile faded quickly, replaced with a curious look and a quick sniff of the air. "Is that...mint?"

The redhead felt her spine tingle in sharp contrast to the sensation she had felt earlier. Elsa's perfume must have gotten on her when they...

Anna did her best to recover by going to the one tactic that hadn't failed her yet. "Oh, um...yeah it is. Elise let me borrow some of her perfume." she lied...again...again.

And the lie once again worked to sickening perfection as her mother smiled like her daughter was a baby again, taking her first steps. "Aww, well that was nice of her."

"Yeah...it was..." Anna stated vaguely while nervously running a hand across her neck, in the same spot that Elsa's lips had been. She was still in disbelief that...all of that had just happened. But for now she repressed the memory, after all it would be a lot harder to lie about why her face was beet red than to lie about why she smelled like mint.

Lies. Just like always.

As the car lurched forward, Anna's stomach felt like it was doing just the same. She should have been happy, ecstatic, at how she and Elsa's relationship was still alive, and kicking, and no doubt progressing, but all she felt was...sick. Again with the lies, their relationship was built on lies that she singlehandedly put down brick by pitiful brick.

Elsa had always been honest with her, except for this time, but it was really her fault for trying to push her into disclosing something she already knew about vaguely and something that Elsa clearly didn't want to revisit. All Elsa did was tell the truth and it was her honesty that would always make Anna feel better about her own dishonesty. Which, as she reminded herself constantly, was selfish and downright stupid.

And that wasn't fair to Elsa, to her girlfriend, the girl she lo-

Anna's eyes grew wide as she caught her mind drifting to that one word. The one word neither of them had said out loud yet. But getting to that point in her thoughts...it had to mean something right?

She leaned against the car door and stared out the window, the blurry scenery behind the glass acted as a background for her inner soliloquy.

Were they at that point yet? Had they been taking things naturally enough that it was time to break out that "l" world. Anna really didn't know; after all Elsa was the first person she'd ever actually been with.

Two dates in and the fact that they had only made themselves official a month ago should have hindered any chances of that being true, but at the same time maybe it was one of those things where it just had to feel right, no matter how much time had passed.

But again, she didn't know. Although there was one thing she _did _know, and that's if she ever did want to say that word then she'd have to quit with the lies, start being honest and finally come clean. It was time to officially take those words Violet said to heart.

Anna clenched her fist seated on her lap with determination as she made an ultimatum, a deadline. Next Friday after the concert she would tell Elsa, and her parents, the truth. Get this all out in the open.

And if her parents forgave her, and more importantly if _Elsa _forgave her, then maybe...maybe she could say it.

She just hope she wasn't too late.

* * *

Another blast of water was sprayed across her face and this time Elsa put her hands up to defend herself against the assault. She had been lying down on her bed, shamelessly recollecting her time with Anna and saving it for later, when her sister barged into the room and launched her attack.

"Ah god! What the hell Elise, fucking stop!"

"Not until you tell me what the heck you were thinking!" the younger sister rebutted, trying to find gaps in Elsa's defenses with her plastic spray bottle.

The endless droplets continued to pelt Elsa despite her best efforts to block them. "What do you-where the fuck did you get a spray bottle anyway?!" she said, shifting her question to what she thought was more important.

"That's not important right now!" Elise continued until the bottle finally began to wheeze out puffs of air instead of water. Still she continued to point it at her older sister like a pitchfork aimed at Frankenstein's monster. "She's 14, Elsa! _14!_"

"Yeah I know that, but I don't see why that's-ow fuck!" Elsa's comment was cut short as the spray bottle hit her right on her wrist with enough force to legitimately hurt. The pain throbbed as she lowered her defenses and clutched her wrist with her unharmed hand. "What is your problem?!"

"What is _your _problem?" her irate little sister said while jabbing a finger towards Elsa. "Her neck? Seriously?! What do you think would happen if someone at school saw any marks you left? What do you think they'd say about Anna, huh?!"

Elsa hissed as she put pressure on the bruise. "What do you mean..."

_Oh._

"Okay I know what you saw looked pretty bad but I'm telling you I didn't...I didn't go there. I hadn't-"

"But you were going to. Weren't you?"

Elsa was floored, there was just no way to answer that. But the easy out was right there in front of her. She could say that of course she wasn't going to, she cared about Anna and wouldn't do anything to hurt her. It would be so easy to say that, but there was no way she could make it sound convincing. Make no mistake she would never do anything to _intentionally _hurt Anna, but when she lost all control of her actions, when she did things before even questioning if they were okay, that was the worrying part. That was what was making her so apprehensive from telling the truth.

Would she have gone farther had Elise not stopped them? ...yes, and she was deeply ashamed of her honesty.

Her shame was magnified as she tore her gaze away from her sister and nodded meekly.

"Elsa you can't...you can't _do _that!" Elise furiously tapped a finger on her temple. "You're the adult here, you need to know better."

Elsa stood up from the bed, her shirt was still damp from the water and it caused a chill to sweep through her skin. It helped in dulling the nerves that were keeping her from fighting back with some dignity. "I...I do know...I mean I should. Look I know I fucked up okay, but just-"

"Is this about Belle?"

The unexpected utterance of her ex's name, in a flash, cast a dark cloud looming over Elsa, souring her already terrible mood. "Wh-what?" she stammered.

"Are you pushing your limits with Anna because you miss how...close you were with your ex?"

The cloud started to rumble and crash lightning down around Elsa, frying her dulled nerves and blanking out her vision. She could feel it, that beast taking over for the second time that day, shifting from carnal to hostile. "Elise th-that's not fair you can't-"

"Are you still not over her?"

"Would you please just stop interrupting me and let me-"

Do you even _like _Anna or are you just-"

A lightning bolt whipped through Elsa and she lashed out, her palm smacked across her sister's cheek, and her face contorted into a haunting combination of disgust and anger. She felt her blood boiling and her ears ringing as she fully lost herself inside the belly of the beast, watching her actions from within.

_Holy shit._

Elise cupped her stinging cheek and looked at her older sister hurt and shocked. There were tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

_Okay fuck, just...don't make this worse. You've gone too far, just apologize._

Elsa was too far gone to do anything of the sort. Her eyes were coated with anger and frustration and she stalked slowly towards her fearful younger sister.

_Apologize!_

She subconsciously drowned out the voice in her head and grit her teeth, towering over Elise like a lion about to devour its prey.

"Get the _fuck _out of my room." Elsa growled.

There was a deafening silence between the two as those words festered, with Elise trying her best to hold back tears and Elsa holding that frightening look of intimidation. The room seemed to grow colder and colder as time passed.

Finally Elise began to walk away, slowly at first and then pacing towards the door while wiping her face on her sleeve. Elsa heard a sniffle before the door closed once again.

Her rage diminished as suddenly as it had surfaced, causing Elsa's knees to buckle underneath her and send her crashing down onto the floor, defeated and drained. She gripped tufts of the carpet in her hands tight enough that her knuckles turned white, her fingers clenched and unclenched in time to her panicked breathing.

_What the hell did you just do?_


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

**A/N: I wrote these next few chapters while camping out in the woods where a storm hit every night, drenching the shit out of my tent. That's not relevant at all to the story, I just thought you guys would like to know that. Also there are like time...jumps or whatever in this chapter again. Just watch out for those line breaks or things might get confusing.**

* * *

"I don't think I'll ever get used to how clean your room is."

Elsa smiled at her fascinated girlfriend and took her place adjacent to her on the bed, the blankets were folded at the foot and the sheets were straightened out with military-grade care. "Well when you said you were coming over, I figured I had to make this place look presentable you know?"

The brunette didn't buy that for a second. "Oh please, even _you_ wouldn't be able to do this good a job on such short notice." She swept her hand across the room, marveling at the spotless carpet, the closet that didn't have a single article of clothing out of place, and the wooden desk straight out of an IKEA catalog.

"Fine, you caught me." Elsa said, putting her hands up in mock defeat. "I have magical cleaning powers. Anything I touch gets like instantly clean, it's crazy."

Belle laughed and playfully pushed the blonde, "Just take the praise, you jerk."

_She's laughing, that's good._

It had been a week since that wonderful night they had spent together, and since then her girlfriend hadn't really been the same. There were times where Belle was her usual outgoing self, and other times where she was much more reserved. Not in the way that Elsa was an expert at, but in the much more worrying way. The lack of eye contact, constant spacing out in their conversations, the dark shadows under Belle's eyes and sunken facial features, all were signs that something might be horribly wrong.

But Elsa never prodded. This was the first relationship she had ever been in, and she wasn't about to mess it up. Not to mention she had zero experience in bringing up touchy subjects with anyone else but her sister.

"I _am _taking it...sorta." Elsa pushed back. "You know me Belle, I don't take compliments from people because I always think they want like money or a favor or something."

"But I'm your girlfriend, Elsa." she wrapped her arms around the blonde's side and looked at her with a cute, little pout. "Make an exception for me? Please?"

Elsa made a face like she was seriously considering it for a second before leaning in and kissing that adorable pout. "Always." she answered.

There was a modicum of sheer joy and content on the brunette's face that went away far too quickly, and as good as she tried to hide it by immediately looking down onto the floor, it was too late. Elsa had noticed that familiar expression of unsolvable guilt.

_Ah fuck, maybe now is a good time to ask her what's wrong._

Elsa tried to do so, picking out the most apprporiate words she could come up with.. "Hey what's...I mean is every...did I say something wrong?" she tried, settling on putting blame on herself as some twisted act of comfort.

Belle shot her gaze up, still clutching Elsa like a teddy bear, and shook her head. "No! You didn't! It's not your fault, it's just...just..."

Instead of continuing her confession, Belle used one of her hands to push her girlfriend down on the bed, kissing her like her life depended on it.

_Oh, uh...okay. So this is happening. _

Elsa was obviously surprised at first, but soon just decided to roll with it. Clearly Belle didn't want to speak about whatever was on her mind, and as bad as it sounded Elsa was perfectly fine with prolonging the inevitable.

She placed her hands on the small of Belle's back, hearing the sweet sound of a breathy moan crash onto her lips. The brunette must have been really worked up if that small gesture was enough to make her react like, well, that.

Maybe that's what this was all about, maybe she was just wound up after them not doing the deed for a week. Couples who were emotionally apart for a week always got this way, right? Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

Elsa's thoughts were swept away as she felt soft hands start to explore underneath her shirt, fingers teased her skin and started to lift the fabric higher and higher. She sat up briefly to help finish the job.

_So should I leave or...?_

As the shirt went up and over her head, Elsa caught Belle's almost hungry gaze looking down at her almost half naked form. They were both panting, with breaths alternating between the two. Elsa couldn't help the dorky smile that came on her face as she anticipated the brunette's next move.

But that next move never happened. With a blink, that hungry look on Belle's face went away, replaced with one that seemed like confusion. As if she had been possessed these past couple minutes and was just now regaining control of her senses. Another blink, this one longer than the first, and now she was frowning, that feeling of guilt had unfortunately returned. And then there was another long blink as a single tear was shed, the drop trickling down from Belle's face and falling onto the sheets.

"Belle?" Elsa asked as she reached her left hand up to try and wipe the tears coming down. "Belle what's wr-"

Belle wiped her own tears away, inadvertently smacking down her girlfriend's hand, and rushed off the bed. "I-I'm sorry Elsa, I...I'm sorry." she whimpered.

Elsa sat up and reached a hand out to the girl who was already halfway out the door. "Belle wait!" It slammed shut, leaving the blonde alone, confused, and most of all worried.

_Shit, yeah something's definitely wrong._

She let out a frustrated groan, lying back down on the bed with her hands smacking down on her forehead. It was like there was some sort of hourglass looming over her, sand trickling down agonizingly, counting down to impending doom.

Unfortunately for Elsa she didn't know how much sand in the accursed thing was left, but she had this sinking feeling that there wasn't much. As frightened as she was at the notion, she needed to find out what was going on with Belle. And fast.

So despite her fears, she made herself an ultimatum: no matter what, she would talk to Belle about this tomorrow. Before things got even worse.

_Hope you aren't too late._

* * *

Elsa took her hands away from her face and opened her eyes, spots of white attacked her vision as she got her bearings Just by looking at her ceiling, she could tell that she wasn't when she thought she was. The room felt dimmer and the air felt colder, which was probably thanks in part to her fan being on full blast. Not to mention she was wearing a shirt. As she sat up, her suspicions were confirmed.

The mess was back, still untouched in those thirty-three days, now forty...something. Elsa had stopped counting at some point. All she knew was that today was finally the day of the concert, the one Anna had invited her to when they were on her bed and everything was happy and perfect.

She was no longer in that horrid point in time a few months ago, and she had already lost Belle. But as a sick and twisted punishment she was constantly recounting repressed memories that she was so sure she had forgotten. It seemed that the confession to her friends a few month's back still couldn't push these thoughts out of her life for good, because one simple sentence had brought them all bubbling back to the surface.

_Get your ass up, it's about damn time you cleaned this room._

And as if the memories weren't bad enough, Elsa had amped up the mental abuse, internally beating and berating her as punishment for her horrible act a week ago. She begrudgingly got up from the bed, lumbering around her room like a zombie while picking laundry up off the floor. She stuffed them inside a hamper hidden inside her closet behind and under even more clothes, not even bothering to check if what she picked up was clean or not.

Her body was on autodrive, cleaning as emotionless as possible, as her mind continued its abuse while reliving even more painful memories.

* * *

"Elsa? You in there?"

The blonde tried to speak, tried to tell the voice on the other side of the door to go away, but her throat was still raw and talking took much more effort than sobbing.

The door creaked open and Elise's head slowly poked through, catching the eye of her older sister, sitting sadly in front of her desk with her own head propped up on one arm.

There were deep set bags under Elsa's red eyes, and her mouth seemed permanently etched into a depressed frown. Her hair was a tangled mess that lay deflated on drooped shoulders. She probably should have at least tried to clean herself up a little but really...what was the point?

Elise rushed over to her side and kneeled down with a worried look on her face. "Oh my god sis, you look awful."

Elsa tried to grin, like action heroes do when they get beaten up pretty badly after a fight, but it only resulted in a pained, unconvincing twitch of her lip. The corner of her mouth turned up the slightest bit before sinking down to its previous position. "Trust me it looks as bad as it hurts. I mean it doesn't look as hurt as it does. I mean it _feels..._ugh fuck it."

"You don't have to put on a brave face for me, you know? I'm your sister."

Despite her awful...everything, Elsa still found it in herself to let out a small chuckle. "You really think this me being brave? I'm a mess sis, let's not beat around the bush here. It's been a week, _one fucking week_, and...well look at me."

Her sister smiled reassuringly, something the younger girl could still do seeing as she was still perfectly functioning and hadn't just gotten her heart broken. "I _am_ looking at you, and I see someone that's being way too hard on them self. You really think you're gonna get over Belle in just a week?"

Elsa flinched and the hand on her lap twitched involuntarily, the name felt like a knife twisting in her gut. "No? Yes? How am I supposed to know?"

"Exactly."

"I'm...not sure how that answers my question."

Elise sighed, "Just...you need to give yourself some time, okay? To heal. This isn't gonna be night and day, it might be awhile before you're not sulking in sweatpants and scarfing down cartons of ice cream."

Elsa looked at her sister confused, "I don't do any of that. And I don't know anyone else that actually does that."

In actuality, her version of sweatpants and ice cream was skipping class and giving up on homework five minutes in. Which, with the semester winding down, wasn't exactly the brightest idea.

The younger blonde rolled her eyes. "Okay so maybe I exaggerated a little bit at the end. But I'm right about like the other 90%." She placed her left hand on Elsa's shoulder. "You're gonna be okay."

Elsa didn't agree. Not because she didn't trust Elise, but because she didn't really know if she'd truly be "okay". At least not in the sense of how she felt before all this happened. What hurt the most about this, the hardest hit in this beatdown on her life, was the fact that the very last thing she said to Belle was "I love you", only to get it smacked back in her face. And because of that, a full recovery seemed out of the picture. No matter what happened after this, she dreaded the fact that no amount of repressing would be enough to drive away that dark shred of her life.

Depressing thoughts aside, Elsa realized that she had yet to thank Elise for listening to her bitch, so she took her arm off her desk and wrapped them both around her younger sister. " Thanks for listening, sis."

"Any time." Elise said as she returned the hug.

* * *

"Elise? You in there?"

There was no answer as Elsa lightly rapped her knuckles over the pink zero.

_What did you expect? You hurt her, you asshole._

She tried to ignore the pounding inside her head for the moment and focus on what was more important. Even if it had been more than a week since her sister had said a single word to her, even if every car ride back home was quiet no matter how loud she made the music, even if she wouldn't even look her in the eye, Elsa still needed to try and make things right.

"I'm...I'm going to Anna's concert soon." she spoke into the locked door. "Just, you know, wondering if you wanted to come."

Still no answer, but the faint sounds of fingers tapping on a keyboard was a definite sign that Elise was inside, ignoring her.

_She hates you, just leave her alone._

Elsa didn't listen. She knocked once more, louder this time, the need to hear her sister's voice again bordering on desperation. "Elise I'm really sorry for hurting you, but could you please just talk to me?"

The seconds ticked away, piling onto the agonizing silence as Elsa tortured herself by standing alone in the hallway, hoping with each passing second that she would finally hear a single word through the other side of the door. And the more the silence grew, the more that hope faded until there was nothing left. Again.

_Fuck. Off. Already._

This time she listened to herself and backed away from the door with a defeated sigh, not even stopping to linger a bit longer like she had been doing the past few days.

* * *

Elsa pulled back a curtain and looked out her window, the night sky painting a solemn, bleak portrait that accurately summed up her day. Her phone only rang three times before someone picked up.

_"Hey Elsa, what's up? God I haven't seen you in forever_." Anna joked. They had just seen each other a few hours ago, making up for lost time in the most intimate way possible.

Elsa forced herself to smile as to not worry the redhead with what she needed to say. "Hey Anna. Listen, um...I'm...not really feeling well. You mind if we don't like...talk for a few days?"

_"...oh. Everything alright?"_

She sniffled and ran her thumb over a stray tear rolling down her cheek. "Yeah, I'll be okay. I just, you know, don't want you seeing- well, _hearing_\- me like this."

Which was true. After her god awful mistake earlier that day, she needed to clear her head first before she hurt anyone else. And in order to do that she couldn't have Anna eagerly waiting by her phone every night, only to be disappointed when Elsa chose sulking in bed over talking to her.

_You're a bad person._

The pain in her knuckles grew as Elsa clutched her phone tightly with every second that there wasn't an answer; trying to rip out the carpet probably wasn't such a good idea.

Anna finally replied. _"Well...okay. It's gonna suck not hearing from you but I'm sure I'll manage. You sure you'll be fine?" _

Elsa nodded, the simple act enough to add even more pressure to her massive headache. "I'll be okay." _You won't and you don't deserve to._

_"Alright I trust you. But...you're still coming to my concert right?"_

"Of course not. I wouldn't miss it for the world." Which was true, she made a vow that no matter how things went this week she would still make it to see Anna perform.

And even through the phone she could tell that the comment had made Anna smile. Which was good, at least she did one thing right today. _"Yay! I'll see you then."_

"Definitely." she said, trying to hide her pitiful eagerness.

_"I..." _Anna's voice trailed off.

"...Anna? You still there?" Elsa asked, slightly worried that she may have already hung up. If this was the last time she'd speak to her girlfriend for at least another week, she'd want it to last as long as possible.

_"Wha-oh, um...y-yeah I'm still here I was just...about to say something stupid. It doesn't matter."_

Any other day, Elsa probably would have followed up on that. But seeing as she felt like utter garbage right now, she wasn't exactly ready to help with whatever that was all about. "Alright then...I'll see you soon."

_"Yeah. See you soon."_

* * *

The sky was a dark, gray streak expanding as Elsa's car tore through the street, and the trees lining the sidewalk swayed violently in the wind. There was a storm coming.

Elsa's face was emotionless, periodically illuminated by the streetlights beginning to turn on; and her mind finally got back on her side and mentally voiced her rampant determination, listing off everything she had concluded.

One, the self-deprecating needed to stop. Yes she monumentally fucked up, but things weren't going to get any better if she continued to just sit around and mope.

Two, after this concert she needed to make a much better effort in remedying the situation with Elise, hell she'd even try begging on her knees if that's what it took. Hopefully it didn't actually come to that, but for now it remained a viable option. She just wanted her sister back, dammit.

Three, the reel of memories constantly playing in her head needed to stop too. Belle was...she was gone now. And while Elise may have flipped an unfortunate switch in her head after saying her name, it was Elsa's job to flip it back off. Sure she loved Belle once, sure repressing the memories may have done more harm than good in the long run, but that was in the past now and she just needed to let that all go. Saying it and doing it, however, were two drastically different feats.

In order to get Belle out of her head for good, she figured, the first thing Elsa needed to do was come back to the present, realize what mattered to her the most right now. The next steps, she figured, would come naturally afterwards.

Which led to number four. Aside from reconciling with her sister, the most important thing in her life right now was Anna. As cheesy as that probably sounded. Anna was really the first person to fully pull her out of the rut she was in, to show her that same amount of adoration and affection she hadn't seen in awhile. So tonight would be more than just her seeing her girlfriend do what she did best. It would be her first real step to break away from that shadow born a few months ago that started to loom over her once more.

She patted the pocket on her shirt, the small black paper bag nestled right inside. Hopefully it would make up for the lack of flowers.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Once again Anna found herself pacing backstage, black dress shoes struck heel-first into the carpet in time with her frantic heartbeat. Only this time she was all alone in the spacious room, the rest of the performers were all busy warming up on stage.

Clearly the nerves were back, but they weren't necessarily focused on the concert starting in less than ten minutes. Today was the day, the day she finally came clean, the day that hopefully she could put all her lies behind her and finally set off on the right foot with Elsa. It couldn't have been coincidence that the same place where the couple had both taken that first step together would be the same place they'd take it again.

Unfortunately, that fierce determination was fighting a losing battle with rampant nervous energy. Which prompted Stitch, who had entered the room at some point, to say "So I'm guessing Elsa's gonna be here tonight?"

Anna quickly stopped herself and looked towards her friend with a look that said she didn't expect to be interrupted, but now that she was she didn't really want to be left alone again. "Is it really that easy to tell?"

The cerulean-haired boy, wearing his signature suit of the same hue, plopped down on a beat-up leather coach, clearly not nervous at all. "Well seeing as the last time you were this rattled, she just so happened to be in the audience...yeah its pretty easy to tell."

She sighed, joining him on the couch and sitting down like she had just got done running a marathon. "I'm hopeless, I know." she muttered.

Not even giving a single thought as to where his friend's mind was, Stitch shamelessly asked "So...does that mean Elise is gonna be here tonight too?"

"Ugh dude, seriously? I don't understand why you don't just talk to her."

"Hey I'm not like you alright? I'm not lucky enough to have that fairy tale moment where me and the girl of my dreams make out in the drum closet."

"Okay first of all..." Anna stood up, scanning the room carefully before continuing. "...Elsa and I did not 'make out' in the drum closet. And second of all...girl of your dreams? Really? I mean yeah Elise is cute and all but aren't you a bit too young to be putting _that _much praise on her?"

"Oh sure let's go down _this _path right now." Stitch bit back. "I'm too _young? _Last time I checked I wasn't the one dating someone four years older than them."

Anna's eyes dilated as she now realized that she needed to deter this conversation to something a lot less incriminating before a certain someone, someone tall, fatherly, wearing a tacky bow tie, and not yet privy to this information, walked in and heard this before she was ready to actually tell them. She put up her hands as a sign of defeat, "Alright alright I'm sorry for saying that. Look just...I really don't want to screw up tonight, okay?"

Stitch looked annoyed, and a bit ticked off, at first but that soon faded into a look of understanding...and still slightly ticked off. "Well don't be. You're Anna, the second best drummer in this school."

"Excuse me?"

"Point being that you have nothing to worry about. You're gonna bring the house down." he patted his incredulous looking friend's knee before getting up the couch. "As for me, I need to focus on making sure there isn't a house _for _you to bring down."

Anna scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "Show off."

The way she was acting it seemed like she wasn't overly appreciative of Stitch's efforts to cheer her up, but that was far from the truth. His words were effective, the only problem was they were diluting the problem that was the least of her worries at the moment.

The door closed once more as Stitch left, leaving the redhead regrettably alone again on the couch. She stared blankly at the forest green wall in front of her, trying to regain her focus. The muffled voice of her dad on the other side of the wall, probably welcoming everyone to the concert, functioned as background noise.

She was already looking past the music, past the playing time, past the feel of being on stage and putting on a drumming clinic. However in doing so she was breaking an important rule in being a musician, which was to actually focus on the performance and drive any other intruding thoughts out of her head. It was so disjointed and confusing, but on the bright side there was still time to fix that mindset.

And as the first note of the night sounded, she closed her eyes and did her best to calm down. It would be a bit of time before she was actually needed.

* * *

Once again Elsa didn't recognize a single word on the program she was reading. But nonetheless when the first song started to play, she knew she was in for a good night, despite everything that had happened before it. It was a swing tune which was aptly named "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)". She smiled, wondering what genius came up with that title. Still it was a really nice tune with a real simple melody, and once it was played the plethora of amazing horn players and saxophonists just broke out into solos one by one. Each solo sounded better than the previous one and they all resulted in gratuitous applause from the audience, annoying hollers were given to players she assumed were much more popular.

Amidst the solos though, Elsa didn't clap even once. Not because she was a total prick (_But you totally are though._), but because she really didn't want to do anything to damage the package before it could be delivered, like an extremely loyal mailman, or mail woman. So her alternative for clapping was...to just sit there with her arms awkwardly laying on the arm rests.

Stitch, the guy with the blue hair, and one of Anna's friends if she remembered correctly, was apparently going to be on for the first half of the concert. That meant three songs, two more after this, before Elsa was able to finally see her girlfriend again. She knew just seeing her would make her feel like 50% less shitty.

As the song ended, Elsa caved and made a half-assed attempt at clapping, keeping her arms close to her chest, to show at least a little bit of a sign that yes, she appreciated the players on stage.

_You look like a retarded seal._

She instinctively turned to her side and was about to open her mouth to make a comment about how good the song was before realizing that the chair was empty. For a moment she had forgotten that Elise wasn't here.

A soft sigh escaped her lips, covered by the sound of the applause dying down. The crappiness of her life situation right now was interfering hard with her ability to _actually_ enjoy herself. This was gonna be a long night.

* * *

Applause. Song. Applause. Song. Applause. Song.

The pattern was ingrained into Anna's head and she knew without a doubt that this next song would be Stitch's last. She readied herself behind the curtain like a fighter about to enter the ring.

The closing song for Stitch's part was the all-time classic "Fly Me to the Moon", with an amazing tenor sax playing a gorgeous introduction. The range was perfect for the song as the other horn instruments did well in accompanying the soloist, and the rhythm section lay the swing beat down for all of them. A wall of sound suddenly erupted as the rest of the horns blared out the melody, Anna smirked a little imagining the surprised look on people's faces at the unexpected explosion of music.

It was good that she was calming herself down by losing her mind in the sound; as hard as she tried, she wasn't able to put her thoughts at ease on the couch. The sound of jazz was always enough to at least bring her back to the present and tonight was no exception, despite how important the events afterwards were.

But sadly the song was over as suddenly as it started, and the easiest part of her night was now over. Stitch emerged from behind the curtain, drumsticks clutched in his right hand and sheet music tucked under his armpit. He tried to give a cocky grin but his exhausted face wouldn't support it.

"Break a leg, number two." Stitch stated smugly, tapping his fist on the redhead's shoulder before walking away.

Anna needed to remember to thank him when this was over. This pseudo-competition between the two that started back in that room half an hour ago to see who was truly better was also helping to keep her mind away from the future and grounding it in the present. She peeled open the thick, violet cloth and immediately looked to the crowd, shamelessly trying to find the only person that mattered, mentally apologizing to her mom who was also in the crowd with her camera.

* * *

Elsa wasn't gonna lie; when she saw Anna walk through the curtain, and she knew how cheesy this was gonna sound, she felt her heart skip a beat. And then when the redhead made a conscious effort to search for her in the crowd and actually _find_ her? Well it was a surprise her heart was still working afterwards.

The blonde grinned when they locked eyes, relishing in the fact that she was finally seeing the younger girl again. And Anna had returned the grin with a smile that just beamed all sorts of happiness, and sunshine, and holy shit Elsa did _not _deserve such a bundle of adorableness.

_No shit, Sherlock._

She watched as Anna adjusted her seat and grasped both of her drumsticks in each hand, her eyes closed and she sat up straight before letting out a sharp breath. Elsa, being the dirty pervert she was, watched the way her chest heaved during the inhale and exhale.

_Hard to believe you were like twenty minutes away from getting all up on that._

Instinctively, she did her best to subtly cover her cheeks with her hands. Figures this would be the first thing her mind said that wasn't completely self-deprecating; and as much as she liked that she was now ingraining her "stop being so hard on yourself" advice, this was _not _the road to recovery she wanted to go down on.

_Bet you wanna go down on something else though._

The exasperated groan she let out was thankfully covered up as the next song started.

* * *

It wasn't until her dad counted off the first measure that all of Anna's subsequent distractions finally kicked in and she was now laser focused on the performance and not on any other super important thing that was going to happen soon. Being in front of the drums again felt amazing, almost therapeutic.

The first song was a Latin fusion number by the name of "Pegasus". As soon as she heard the introductory bass line, Anna immediately fell in love with the tune. The first few measures or so were chill as chill could be, but it built up into something fierce by the end. The subsequent solos by the trumpet and saxophone led into such a superb chorus by all the horns, Anna didn't mind at all that all she was doing was setting down a simple Latin shuffle.

The second was a song called Sing, Sing, Sing. An older chart sure, but Anna would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the heck out of her part. The song opened with a drum beat that felt, in Anna's words, "jungley". With so much emphasis on the toms and bass drum, it wasn't hard to tell why. Overall it was a pretty simple swing number, which was seemingly the unofficial theme of the concert: drum, melody, solo, rinse repeat. But it set up for the big finale that she was sure would blow everyone away.

Hopefully.

The clapping died down, and Anna shuffled through the sheet music, grabbing the last piece of the night and smirking.

"Thank you all for coming out tonight." her dad spoke energetically into the microphone. "I think it's about time to wrap it up though, and send you all home with a song called ''The Jazz Police'."

He turned around as the courteous applause started, looking at the band, the bassist who would once again be needed to kick the song off right and finally to Anna, who beamed that trademark smile she had been genetically gifted with. His hands went up in the air, wrists flicking with expert precision to count off the song.

Almost immediately, Anna and the bassist had synced up, combining the quick shuffle of the drums with the fast-paced introductory bass riff. The band joined them soon afterwards. This was by far her favorite song on the set list, but that was mostly due to her being a sucker for closers, and for closing.

And just like the last concert, she felt herself succumb to the music and just play to her heart's content. Of course she still had enough self-control to keep her composure and back off when it was time to highlight another player, but when the band was rocking so was she. Her arms were a blur all around the drum set, and her foot was slamming down on the bass pedal like she was squishing a bug that just wouldn't die. No wonder Elsa called her a monkey.

At some point everything just sort of blacked out. Not in the horrible, concert ruining, health worrying kind of way, but in the good way. The stage, the band, most of the audience, they all just disappeared. All that remained was her, the drums, the faint sounds of a band still slightly gracing her ears...and Elsa. It now became this purely figurative and admittedly corny private concert, just for the two of them. But the kicker was she couldn't look up at all to confirm this, to maybe show Elsa in some way that she was the reason she was playing so intensely, because once she tore her eyes away from the drums that was it, the zone she had put herself in would dissipate and she would shamefully stumble through the rest of the song.

The aura that only came from performing, the sight of her girlfriend seeing her do what she loved, the excitement over finally coming clean, it was the best kind of overwhelming.

But then the ringing, the sound of the band, stopped, and Anna almost had a heart attack. With great reluctance, she tore her eyes away from the drums while her arms miraculously remained on autopilot, and looked at her dad. His arms were still up, one palm facing towards Anna, and the other palm facing towards the band, stopping them from making any more noise. And if she didn't want to ruin this moment, she would have dropped the sticks and hugged her dad right then and there.

He had stopped the band, presumably before the last note, just to let his daughter have her moment.

Well there was no way she was going to disappoint now. She took control of the wheel once more and guided herself back from her improvised tear across the drum set, slowly calming her frantic pace down before giving a cue back to her dad that yes, it was time to bring it on home. With a nod of her head, and a swish of her dad's arm, the band exploded and brought the roof down off the auditorium.

The fading sounds of the final note were picked back up by the audience who stood up off their seats and gave a thunderous round of applause.

* * *

Elsa was pretty sure she was going to be floored by Anna's performance again but she didn't expect anything like, well, _that._

_Yeesh, your girlfriend is better than you in like every single way._

This was true and she wasn't even ashamed to admit it, so far the only thing she had going for her was the age difference. And...other experiences she was hoping that Anna wasn't acquainted with yet. As soon as that last note hit, she was up on her feet like everyone else and just clapping her hands till they stung, the package could handle getting a little banged up.

It was extremely cool of her dad to just let her play her heart out when she was clearly in the zone, and it all worked out so well in the end.

Speaking of Anna's dad, he was back on the microphone with the proudest grin on his face. "Once again thank you all for coming! And just like the last concert the students will have some time off the stage before I need them back here to clean up."

Elsa didn't need to be told twice that that was her cue to get up on the stage as fast as possible. Which was nearly impossible with parents shuffling out of their seats and standing in the middle of aisles with their cameras out, hollering over to their kid to come over to them. It took a bit of some fancy footwork, both words being used loosely, but finally there was nothing standing between Elsa and the stage.

Anna had just gotten a kiss on the forehead from her dad when Elsa caught up with her. She grasped her girlfriend's wrist once the man got preoccupied with something else and eagerly tugged her back towards the most memorable spot of their relationship, all without saying a single word.

* * *

At first Anna was scared she was about to get kidnapped and was dangerously close to screaming out for help. Luckily she turned around first in the direction she was being dragged to, or else that scream would have caused a massive amount of problems.

"Elsa! Wh-where are you-"

Her stammering was silenced as the blonde shushed her with a finger placed on her lips. Which was an effective move as any to shut up any protests.

Truth be told Anna had the events post-concert all planned out, and none of the plans had her being dragged to who knows where by Elsa. But this...could probably work out too. As long as she was able to say what she needed to say, things were still good.

Their destination, apparently, was the drum closet where they first...well it was a lot of firsts. And when Elsa closed the door, Anna got a bit worried that they were about to continue where they had left off a week ago. If only because now was probably _not_ the best time to do so.

Her fears were partially confirmed when Elsa closed the distance between them, cupping the redhead's cheek and kissing her with the intensity only an extensive time apart could give. Not as extensive as a month, but long enough. Anna got the memo fast and put her shaky hands on the blonde's hips, kissing back and trying to match that same intensity.

Elsa tore them both apart as fast as she had brought them together, she was slightly out of breath when she spoke. "You...were amazing out there." Her eyes were brimming with pride and elation, two emotions she hadn't seen from the blonde before.

The intensity radiating from the older girl, it was enough to make Anna severely flustered. She looked down at her shoes with cheeks as red as her hair. "Th-thanks." she muttered.

Elsa closed the gap once again, but instead of another kiss she enveloped Anna in a nearly bone-crushing hug. "I missed you." she heard the blonde mutter into the crook of her neck with a voice that sounded so earnest and...sad?

This was the most amount of affection she had ever seen come from Elsa and...well actually it felt nice. Unexpected, but nice. She returned the hug as tightly as she could, ignoring whatever it was that was now digging into her collar bone.

They stayed there for a bit, just holding each other and enjoying this brief moment they had alone. Before they had to part once again, and before Anna had to finally break the news to her. Part of her wanted the hug to last forever because of it. But sadly Elsa pulled them away for a second time with a content look on her face. She reached into her shirt pocket, pulling out a small, beat up, black package.

"A-and there was something...something I wanted to give you sooner but forgot about it. Figured now was a good a time as any, you know?" Elsa said while fumbling around with the paper, as nervous as if she was about to propose to her or something.

What was in the package though wasn't a ring, not by a long shot, but it still made Anna gasp as if it was. When Elsa finally got it open, she had pulled out two slim, silver chains, and attached at the end of each chain was a tiny monkey raising drumsticks high over its head. A small, shiny emerald was embedded into the midsection of each.

She was so stunned, so at a lost for words, that she couldn't even comment on Elsa's commitment to this running joke. Her jaw couldn't have gone lower if it tried.

"It's a necklace, I got it at that metal shop we went to awhile back. I kept forgetting to give it to you." Elsa took one and held it out to Anna who was now trying to at least move her mouth to form words, but still nothing came out.

Luckily, she still had the wherewithal to carefully take hold of the necklace held out to her. In her hands she could feel the thickness of the metal, the smoothness of the gem, the intricate care put into shaping the silver into its design. But most of all she could feel the affection, the amount of caring, the physical embodiment of how much she must mean to Elsa.

"Do...do you like it?" Elsa asked hopefully.

In the sudden and overwhelming wave of warmheartedness exhibited from her girlfriend, Anna found it in herself to do what needed to be done, and knew that there was never a good a time as right now.

She gripped the necklace tightly, metal digging into her palms, and brought her other hand on Elsa's shoulder, pulling herself up to return the kiss. When she pulled away, she spoke the words that would shape their relationship from here on out:

"I love you."

**A/N: Anna- 5 Elsa- 4**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

**A/N: Okay so don't murder me or anything but this chapter is...pretty short. You'll see why in a bit.**

* * *

Elsa felt like she was ready for anything tonight; any unexpected turn of events, any drastic changes in the conversation, maybe even any uninvited guests to her and Anna's private moment right here in the drum closet. She had prepared herself mentally for anything thrown her way...except for three little words:

"I love you."

Almost immediately, her mind started reaching out for answers and reactions in the darkest and most avoided corners and once again digging into that repressed shelter of memories that forebode a response that there was no coming back retreated from Anna's grasp like her skin was bitter and cold to the touch and looked at the redhead like she had just morphed into some sort of demon. "You...what?"

Anna herself had reacted in a way that contrasted badly with the confidence she exuded from saying those words in the first place. She shook her head and snapped back to attention as if she had just been caught daydreaming in class and stared down at the ground in disbelief, "I...I think I just said I love you. I mean th-that wasn't what I was gonna _say _at first but-"

"N-no! How could you say that?" Elsa interrupted as her heart started to pound furiously inside her chest.

"Say...what? That I love you?"

Those damn words felt like bullets piercing into Elsa's gut that shredded her insides. She treaded further inside this cold, gray asylum, clutching her stomach and turning away from her rightfully confused girlfriend. "Stop it, just...stop saying those words."

"Elsa...what are you talking about?" Anna mimicked every frigid step the blonde took, following her deeper into the dim room. "Is it because I'm too young, is that it?"

"No..." Elsa muttered, though the word still somehow echoed. It would have been so easy just to lie and say yes, that Anna's age was the problem, but the blonde couldn't think clearly enough to say so in her frightened hysteria. She tried to beg Anna to stop pushing the issue before things got out of hand, but the sounds that made it out of her throat sounded too weak and desperate to register as any discernible words.

When Elsa ran out of room to back away, Anna took that as a cue to try and get closer. "What has gotten into you, Elsa? Why can't I say I love you?"

"Because you don't mean it." she replied in a pained whisper, quiet enough not to echo, but loud enough to still speak volumes.

Anna didn't know what to say, and Elsa didn't want to say anymore, feeling like she had already said too much.

Her eyes stung with tears, and when she went to wipe them away, instead of seeing a confused, almost scared, redhead in front of her, she saw the scared, confused blonde from a few months ago, hoping and praying that the new text message on her phone wasn't what she was fearing the most.

All the pent-up pain and anguish was unleashing itself right here and right now. Logic and self-control had been thrown out the window long ago, now all she wanted to do was let out all this pain, even if it meant hurting someone else in the process. And even if it meant that person was the one she really did care for the most.

Finally Anna broke the silence, stammering out her words. "E-Elsa, what...what are you saying right now?" She tried to put a hand on Elsa's shoulder, but the older girl flinched and moved out of the way before she could lay down a single finger.

Just like clockwork, the tears started rolling down Elsa's face and onto the concrete floor. She grit her teeth so hard, she almost felt her jaw lock up. "I'm saying that you're lying, you don't love me and you never will..." She was hanging precariously over the edge once more, looking out into the pit of darkness that had already engulfed her before.

Anna in the meanwhile was downright shocked, never in a million years did she ever think she'd hear this coming from Elsa. But to her credit, she picked up right away that something had to have been up for the blonde to react like this. "What happened, Elsa? Why are you saying these things?"

"Nothing happened." Elsa lied. "So just drop it."

"No, I don't believe that for a second. Just tell me what's wrong, I can help you."

Anna reached out again, and instead of pulling away Elsa snatched her hand before it got any closer, gripping the younger girl's wrist like an anaconda suffocating its prey. Time seemed to stop as soon as Elsa's latched on.

There was genuine fear on Anna's face, and genuine malice on Elsa's. And what she said next were the most bitter, hateful words given undeservingly to the sweetest, most innocent person.

"Didn't you fucking hear me?! I told you to drop it!"

"Elsa..." Anna gasped and to squirm away from the vice grip.

"What part of 'you will never love me' don't you understand?" Elsa sounded terrifyingly sane with her words, like she really meant everything that she was saying, even through her shaky voice and tear-stricken face. "How can you be this stupid?!"

She saw Anna wince as those words pounded into her ears and burrowed inside of her, which was the desired effect she was going for. "Elsa..."

"The fact that anyone could ever love me is just fucking stupid, what makes you think that you could be the exception?" In some sort of cruel ironic twist, the words that Elsa was saying were now starting to get a bit too personal.

"Elsa, please-"

"What?! What is it now, Anna? What the fuck else do you need to say?!"

"You're hurting me..." Anna said in a hoarse whisper.

"I…" Elsa brought her vicious assault to a complete halt, and just like that, the uncalled for rage was gone. She blinked a few times, finally starting to come down from that place she hated going to so much. A sliver of anger still remained in her eyes as she looked down at the death grip she had on Anna's wrist, her knuckles were once again that sickening white shade, and she immediately let go.

Anna stepped away from the blonde, nursing her wrist with her working hand. She looked so scared and defenseless, like a beaten down puppy in an alley looking for scraps of food. Elsa looked down at her own hand that had caused that much suffering and felt the immediate and familiar feeling of guilt wash over her. This situation felt frighteningly familiar.

The door handle being pulled down broke up the tension, at least for a little bit, and from the other side came Anna's father, curiously looking inside of the room. "Anna, you alright? I heard shouting in here and just wanted to check..." his eyes locked with Elsa's, who looked away almost instantaneously. "I remember you."

When he finally got a better look at his daughter, her hand still rubbing a sore wrist and eyes now starting to fill with tears, his expression darkened. "Anna, what's going on here?" he asked sternly.

But Anna didn't answer. She looked almost on the verge of breaking down as she wiped the tears away and made a hurried exit through the open door, giving one more pained glance towards the woman that had caused all this.

"Anna...Anna wait, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...I didn't..." Elsa tried to follow her in a last-ditch effort to fix things, but her path was blocked by the man who now looked at least two feet taller and ten times as menacing. She didn't even dare to try and explain her actions.

"I don't know what's going on here, but I have an idea that I really, _really _hope isn't right." he spoke through gritted teeth. "That's my daughter you just hurt, you hear me? And I don't take kindly to people who hurt my daughter."

These words sounded very much like a threat, and Elsa felt the cruel hand of irony slap her across the face as she started to feel the fear she most likely instilled into Anna only a few moments ago.

"So I'm only gonna say this once, and you better make damn sure that you listen: Stay away from my daughter, stay away from our family. Because if you don't…"

He didn't finish his sentence, which actually made the threat that much more terrifying as Elsa was left petrified, emotions and thoughts swirling uncontrollably inside of her mind like an uncontrollable hurricane, making it impossible to think or speak or do anything other than stand frozen in her place.

Instead of continuing, the man stormed out of the closet, no doubt on his way to check up on the daughter he warned Elsa to stay away from. The door creaked as it swung back and forth, and it was the only sound that she heard as she finally began the process of realizing how much she had royally fucked up once again.

* * *

Anna looked out the window from the back seat of her parents' car as her mom and dad spoke softly up front, the streaks of rain painting the glass paralleled the streaks of tears staining her face. And while the throbbing had ceased from her wrist, the pain was still very much there.

Booming thunder, lightning crackling across the sky, gusts of wind that turned trees on their sides, she should have known what there was no way tonight would have a happy ending. She should have known a lot of things.

"Anna?" her father called out after the two adults had presumably finished their hush conversation.

She didn't answer.

"Anna...I don't want to jump to conclusions but...we need to know if the two of you were-"

"Just take me home, Dad." Anna interrupted, her voice shaky and raw from crying so much. "Please...I don't want to talk about it right now."

"...okay."

The rain continued to pour down hard as they drove home in silence.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

**A/N: So it seems like that last chapter made some of you guys a little...upset. Well all I can really tell you is just keep reading. It gets...well okay I'm not at liberty to say if it gets better or worse, all I can say is just keep reading.**

* * *

_Lilo: Anna where u been? It's been 4 days and the sub for band suuuuuucks. Msg me back ASAP, alright?_

_Stitch: Lilo made me text you too. I'm assuming something happened at the concert but I'm not gonna pry. You and your dad just get back soon, okay? Jazz band's super lame without you guys._

_Violet: Hope you're okay, Anna. I hope you're just sick or something and nothing really bad happened. Well actually that makes it sound like being sick isn't bad. Umm...just get better soon. I miss you. We all do._

Anna stared blankly at her phone as she read the text messages she had gotten over the past four days. There were also three voicemail messages but she had a good idea who they were from and chose not to listen to them.

She was lying on her bed, back to the door with her blanket wrapped around herself like some sort of protective cloak. Aside from the curtains being slightly parted to let in the afternoon sunlight, the rest of the room was pitch black. After the incident at the concert, Anna had gotten a throbbing headache which soon turned into a fever, and while it had gone away yesterday she still had zero motivation to go back to school. Or out of her bed for that matter.

She shut off her phone and dropped it back onto her pillow, looking listlessly out at her neighborhood as a yellow school bus parked on the other side of the street, letting out a sea of children who all went their separate ways back to their homes. Not once did her face move from its flatlined expression.

So this is what being heartbroken felt like. For the first couple of days, it was this godawful ache in her chest that left her in this constant state of misery and tears, so many tears. The reservoir had ran dry long ago so now whenever she felt like crying, which was basically every other hour, it resulted in nothing more than pitiful sniffles and weak whimpers. As of today her emotions, her thoughts, looped tirelessly, alternating between feeling hollow and empty, and irreparably miserable. And in that loop, always at the forefront of her mind, was the most daunting question: why? Why did all of this happen? Why did Elsa react the way she did? Why couldn't she have just stayed the course and confessed before saying something so...stupid? Nothing hurt worse than not knowing the answer to any of these questions.

Just then the door to her room opened, letting in more light than usual. She had no motivation to even turn around and see who was there.

"Anna?" a soft, motherly voice called out into the dim room.

She responded by pulling her blanket up higher.

"Anna I know you might not be feeling well yet but...it's been four days. We need to talk." This voice she recognized as her father's, who had stayed home with her this week in order to take care of her. He tried to sound supportive yet authoritative at the same time.

"About what?" Anna muttered in a much more bitter tone than she was going for.

"I think you know what."

She sighed and turned around, knowing that there was no way of prolonging this daunting conversation any more. Anna saw the way her parents were looking at her, like she was dying or something, and wished that they'd stop. Her body was fine, her heart may have been damaged beyond all repair, but the rest of her was okay. Or would be, at least.

They both sat down at opposite sides of the bed, and her mother added on to the previous statement. "Anna, were you and that girl..."

There was no need to even finish that statement. Anna nodded as she began to unravel the months worth of lies in front of her parents. "We were. Our first date was the Saturday after the concert a few months back. And we've been dating ever since. Or we were. I don't know..."

Her dad, seated at the foot of the bed, asked the next question while looking visibly uncomfortable, "How, uh...ahem...how much did you two do?"

Anna sat up slowly, resting her arms on both her knees. It was the most amount of movement she had done today besides the obvious times she needed to use the bathroom. "We kissed a few times, that's all. We never went past that because we agreed to take things...naturally."

Her dad nodded, a neutral reaction that she was having a hard time deciphering.

She winced when her mother placed a hand on her wrist. "Your father told me that he saw you two inside the drum closet and...and it look like she hurt you. Anna, please tell me she didn't hurt you."

They couldn't even say her name. And maybe that was out of respect, or just that they forgot it out of pure coincidence, but it was doing more harm than good. Her mind filled in the blank anyway that her parents had left.

Anna shook her head. "N-no...Elsa-" she paused for a second, this was the first time she had spoken that name out loud in four days. "...it didn't hurt."

Immediately she could sense that that was the wrong answer, because her parents both scooted closer towards her with varying faces of worry. "What do you mean it didn't hurt? Anna, what did she do?"

In response, Anna scooted further away from her parents and lifted her knees up to her chest, hugging them tightly. Part of her wanted to just keep dodging these questions, but it was dwarfed by her desperation for answers. And her parents always had an answer for everything. "She...it wasn't bad okay, she just grabbed my wrist and...yelled at me." The statement came out a lot shakier than expected, she underestimated how difficult it would be to recall that day.

As soon as those words came out, her mother moved up and put her hand on Anna's knee, looking at her as if she had said that Elsa had done something much much worse. "Anna that sounds _very _bad, why would she do that?"

This question above all else was the one Anna had been dreading for so long. Before she could even begin, the sobbing started up once again. She ducked her head into her lap as the tears stained her shirt and blanket.

"I told her I loved her." she answered faintly.

"You what?" her dad asked in disbelief. "How could you...Anna you're fourteen! You can't say that-"

"What your father's trying to say..." her mother interrupted, probably shooting the man a warning glare at the same time. "...is that we just think you said it too soon."

Anna wanted to retort, say that _she _didn't think it was too soon and that it felt right even if they had only been dating for such a short time, but even she was starting to doubt that.

"I mean you said so yourself, the two of you haven't been together for so long."

"I know." Anna replied, her face still buried in her lap. "I know."

Finally calmed down from his outburst, Anna's father spoke once more. "But that still doesn't change the fact that you lied to us, honey. For months. You broke rules that we thought were pretty understandable, and...well you _should _be punished for it but..."

But?

He sighed, "Your mother and I agreed that it would be too cruel, we'd just be kicking you while you're down."

"We love you, Anna. No matter what, we will _always _love you." her mother added while pulling the redhead in tightly from the side for a hug.

She took her hands away from her face, looking up at the affectionate looks on her parents' faces, and tried her best to answer back. "I…" her voice cracked and she was pulled back into unrelenting sobs once more, unable to finish her sentence.

"We know, honey." her dad said, taking her hand into his own. "We know."

* * *

Roughly three weeks after she had done what she thought was irreparable damage to their relationship, Elsa finally got her sister's attention. In the worse way possible.

They were on another torturously silent drive home. Elsa had done her daily attempt at asking how her day was like a mother picking their kid up from school when, surprisingly, she got an actual response:

"What did you do to Anna?"

There were so many responses Elsa could have gone with. She could have just told the honest truth, she could have played dumb and said she had no idea what Elise talked about, hell she could have just dismissed the question entirely and ask if Elise was still mad at her. But when Elsa turned to see a surprisingly intimidating glare staring back at her, all she mustered up was "Wh-umm...what?"

"Don't play dumb with me Elsa." Elise replied. "She hasn't been in class this whole week, and I've left her like three messages on her voicemail and I haven't heard anything back. What did you do?"

"...oh."

"Oh? That's all you have to say for yourself?"

Elsa propped one of her elbows up on the driver side window and leaned her head against her open palm. At first glance it simply looked like she was just resting her head, but really what Elsa was doing was massaging her temple to try and get rid of the splitting headache that always seemed to form whenever she thought about that horrific incident almost a week ago. "Elise, now's really not the best time…"

She saw her little sister's eyes light up with intrigue, and yet still maintaining that shadow of anger, from her attempt at avoiding the topic. "Oh now I _really _wanna know what you did, cause it had to have been just freaking awful."

"Please sis, now's really not the best time." She felt the already narrow road shrink even more as her vision worsened.

"And when is it gonna be the best time, huh? A month? A year? Never?" Elise's voice was filled with sheer bitterness and resentment.

"Just...not now okay?" Elsa could feel herself being pushed over the edge again and it gave her a sickening feeling in her gut. Why did it always have to come to this? Why couldn't she keep her emotions in check?

"No, you will tell me what you did right now!" Elise demanded, giving that one final push as Elsa desperately tried to cling to a ledge on the way down.

She veered onto the side of the road and slammed hard on the brakes, a loud honk greeted her as the car behind them zoomed past. Chances are if Elise wasn't wearing her seatbelt, she would have knocked herself unconscious on the glove compartment.

"I fucked up, okay?! I hurt her just like I hurt you!" she finally confessed scathingly. "All because I'm a jackass, because I can't control my own goddamn emotions."

"Wait what? What do you mean you hurt her?"

Elsa ignored the question and continued to feed the beast inside that feasted on her pain and suffering. "But what else is new right? I mean clearly I'm just all sorts of fucked up if I keep hurting the people I love."

Elise stared at her sister and she could practically see the gears whirring inside her head. "She...she said she loved you?"

She nodded, knowing that this was something she could answer well enough to stay on this path of self loathing.. "And you know what I said? You wanna know what I fucking said?" Elsa let out a hateful cackle, directed at herself. "I called her an idiot! Right to her face! And the bullshit reason I gave was that no one could ever love me so _obviously _she must have been lying."

Her eyes began to sting with the tears starting to form, she wiped them away with her sleeve and looked down at the blue fabric now stained and darkened. "And now I'm fucking crying again. God I'm such a mess, I don't know how the fuck to make things right with her, I don't even know if she even wants to see me again. Hell I can't even make things right with _you_."

That sickening feeling of guilt found its way onto her little sister's face as those words reached her, which made Elsa feel even worse. Why did all her actions always make other people feel worse? Why couldn't all that hurt just be directed at her instead? After all, she deserved it more.

When Elise didn't say anything, Elsa took that as a sign to continue. And she knew that if she wanted to keep her little sister from looking so damn guilty, there was one last thing she could possibly attempt.

"I'm sorry Elise, I'm so...so sorry for what I did to you. And I know I don't deserve your forgiveness if _this _is how I treat the people I love but...fuck I just don't know anymore." she dug her face into her palms, trying to hide the disgusting shame she felt. "I just... I don't want to lose you too."

Finally Elise said something, which was good because Elsa had nothing else she could say that wasn't just "I'm sorry" over and over again. And with her face still covered she didn't know for certain, but it sounded like Elise was crying too.

"Of course I forgive you, you big idiot."

Elsa pried one hand away from her face, staring back confused and confirming her suspicions that yes, Elise had also been crying. "How? I fucking slapped you, I told you to get the fuck out of my room, I made you cry just like right now. How can you forgive me?"

Elise wiped a tear from her eye with one finger and chuckled weakly. "We're sisters, of course we're gonna fight from time to time. Besides, you didn't do it unprovoked. I should have known better than to even ask you such a stupid question."

There it was again, someone putting blame on themselves for something that Elsa did. "No, please don't say that. Don't say that any of that shit was your fault, that was all me and you know it."

"Elsa...you need to stop blaming yourself for everything, especially when some things happen that _aren't _your fault."

"But that _was _my-"

"And..." Elise interrupted, and placed her hand on top of Elsa's. "...you have to forgive yourself for when things actually _are _your fault."

She didn't move her hand an inch, this was the first time she had had any physical contact with her sister for weeks. "You make it sound so easy."

"It's not, and it won't be. But..." her strangely wise little sister tightened the grip she had on her hand. "...you're going to have to if you ever want to make things right with Anna, just like you're trying to make things right with me."

She sniffled and used her free hand to wipe more tears off her face. "Are you sure I still can?"

Elise smirked, "You better, or else I'm gonna need another tutor."

The lighthearted joke finally broke away through weeks worth of tension, and minutes worth of crying on the side of the road, and both sisters shared a laugh that soothed their damaged relationship. "Come on sis, I'm being serious."

"And so am I...okay well I was for the first part. But this is as far as I can go with the relationship advice, the rest is up to you."

She was right of course, just like always. But there were some hurdles she'd need to get through before she could even get close to making things right with Anna.

The first was doing what Elise had said before, she needed to forgive herself. And yeah this was sorta what she had told herself before the concert, but it had been put into much more elegant and clarifying words by her sister.

The second was finding out why in the hell she was acting the way she was. Why did she lash out at Elise and Anna in the first place? She already had a good gist of what the reason was, but getting to a point where these outbursts weren't going to be a problem would be, well, problematic.

And the third might have been the hardest one to leap across over them all. There was something off about what Anna's father had said to her that night. It was as if...as if he never had any idea that they were dating. And if that was the case, well then there would be two people in that household she'd need to smooth things over with. She didn't know why Anna would lie to her parents like that, but it must have been for a good reason.

And maybe once she got past all the hurdles, once she finally got Anna's forgiveness, she would ask.

But right now, reconciling with her sister, this was a good first step in finally getting her shit together. And it may not have gone the way she expected, but things rarely did. After all that's how she got into this mess in the first place.

She looked sheepishly at her younger sister. "Uh...Elise this may sound really strange coming from me but...well..."

"Yes...?"

"Well it's just that...I was wondering..." Chances are she didn't even have to ask this, but after having her world flipped upside down multiple times she wanted to be better safe than sorry.

"God, just spit it out already." Elise said while rolling her eyes.

"Ugh, fine." Elsa groaned. "...can I have a hug?"

Elise didn't say anything at first, probably wanting her older sister to wallow in her embarrassment for a little bit more. But finally after a reasonable amount of aggravated waiting, she embraced the older girl while giggling behind her back, "Can't believe you made such a big deal out of that."

"Shut up." Elsa replied, secretly reveling in the contact she had sorely missed.

**A/N: See? I'm not a heartless monster.**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

**A/N: So we're like 26 chapters in now (holy shit) and I don't think I've ever actually thanked you all for actually reading this thing. Or maybe I did and I just forgot, but still it'd be pretty dickish of me not to keep thanking all 182 of the people that followed this story (and the 93 that favorited it (so far)) from either start to finish...or just from like Chapter 25. So thank you for taking the time to read what goes on in the little fucked up corner of my mind, because you're 80% of the reason I keep writing this story.**

**And now that I've got your attention with this long-ass note I'd just like to say that we are sadly reaching the conclusion of MTJAN. Oh don't worry we've still got a bit to go, and right now the timetable isn't set. For sure this thing will hit Chapter 30, but no way is it gonna reach 40. So enjoy the 5...6...7...whatever chapters left because it's about time I wrapped this up. And hopefully the ending won't be too disappointing.**

For some reason, Elsa had got to thinking about the time not too long ago when she had went on that run with Mulan. She remembered how unbelievably long they had been out, how much her lungs burned, how loud her calves seemed to yell at her in agony, and most vividly she remembered just how far they had gotten. No matter what corner they passed, what stoplight they ran through, or what suburb they visited, the ending point felt farther and farther away with each passing second.

She didn't know why exactly this thought had crossed her mind. Maybe it's because that was the day she had finally decided to start something about her fucked relationship, maybe it was just a random thought, or maybe it was because the distance of that run paled in comparison to the walk from her car to this ominous front door. The few feet from the driveway to the door stretched and stretched with each tiny step that Elsa took.

"_You sure you're ready for this?" _she remembered Elise asking her earlier.

She had replied with nervous laughter and said, _"Probably not. But...I have to do this, you know? For me, for Anna...for the both of us." _

It was a warm Friday afternoon, and a day removed from Elsa's successful reconciliation with her sister. Clouds painted the sky, sharing space with the sun as it clung on to its last bit of time left to brighten the day, and any other time she would have been enjoying the weather but not now. Not when she was trying her hardest to just focus on merely putting one leg in front of the other.

She sighed, breath escaping and joining the light breeze that rustled the trees and bushes. "Come on Elsa…" she said to herself, "This is for Anna, you can do this."

And she repeated that mantra until she miraculously got to the front door, the point of no return.

* * *

In a way, Anna felt like she deserved all of this. All the pain, the apathy, the painful, unwelcome reminiscing over that traumatizing event, she deserved it all. Who was she to think that her lies wouldn't have any repercussions? Why did she think she could get away with this unscathed?

This was not at all a healthy mindset to have but she didn't care. The punishment, she reasoned, fit the crime. And while it still didn't explain Elsa's reaction, she was content with never getting an explanation. Or rather, she had given up on getting one.

The three messages still lay unheard, trapped in the phone she had thrown onto her pillow from her desk, where she sat twirling a drumstick over the rubber center of her practice pad. It was the first time since the concert that she had even held a pair of sticks.

She would be lying, something she promised never to do from here on out, if she said she wasn't the least bit concerned at Elsa's outburst. Just because she conceded in never getting a straight answer, doesn't mean that she could just up and stop thinking about it. But why did the effects have to be so physical? And what could Elsa have possibly meant by she could never love her?

There were a million answers running through her mind, most of them irrational, but there was one that seemed to fit the bill the most to her. Maybe Elsa just didn't think Anna really knew what love was. Maybe she meant that Anna could never love her in the way that she thought love was about.

She sighed, "Maybe she's right."

The more Anna mulled it over, the more she realized that her definition of love was...practically nonexistent. All she garnered was that it was a feeling that two people have between each other, this strong bond and affection that had to be pure and honest. It was cheesy, and most likely wrong, but it's what she thought. Elsa most likely saw how naive she was on the subject and rejected her because of it. But still, that couldn't explain why she lashed out the way she did, why her words sounded so emotionally charged.

Why was this happening? Why did it go down the way it did? So many questions flooded her mind, along with so many subsequent and illogical answers,and she desperately wished someone could just help her make sense out of all this.

Just then, as if someone had heard and answered her prayers, there was a knock at the door followed by a voice that didn't seem to come from either of her parents. "Anna? It's us, you know your friends you've been ignoring for a week? We're coming in, okay?"

Anna recognized the voice as Lilo's, and also recognized that this answer to her prayers was the exact opposite of what she needed. And her use of the word "we" must have meant the rest of her friends were here too as well, but she didn't want them here under any circumstances; no way was she in any shape to face anyone right now. But before she could get up off her seat to try and lock her door, it opened, and she watched with red, tired eyes as her friends entered.

Lilo led the trio, Stitch had a pair of familiar looking drumsticks in his hand, and Violet had a stack of papers crooked under her arm. Each had their own unique expression of worry on their face when they saw just why their friend hadn't contacted them all this time.

Violet was the first to react, setting the papers down on Anna's desk and rushing to kneel down and take the redhead's hand in hers, scanning her face like she was trying to find some sort of bruise or scar. "Oh my god Anna what happened to you?"

Anna shrugged unconvincingly, "It's nothing really, just...a bunch of crying. Trust me it feels worse than it looks."

"That's not very reassuring." Stitch replied.

"Because it wasn't supposed to be..." Anna shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to sound rude, it's just...what are you guys doing here?"

Lilo sat on Anna's unkempt bed and raised an eyebrow. "We don't hear from you for a week. What are we supposed to do? _Not _find out what's wrong?"

"Well no, but..." Anna had no idea where she was going with this.

She felt Violet give a gentle squeeze on her hand and she shifted her attention back to the dark-haired girl smiling assuredly. "We're your friends, and we were really worried about you."

Anna clenched her unheld fist as Violet spoke, finding that the words were almost too much to bear. So many people cared about her when, in such a confusing time in her life, she felt like she didn't deserve any of them. "Well don't be." she accidentally spoke out loud.

"Wh...what?"

Her mind was so misguided, so disoriented, that it was dangerously affecting her behavior. The positive, eager, and bold Anna was becoming replaced by a much more harsh, weary person that needed this overwhelming support as much as she wanted to be left alone to suffer inside the warzone of her psyche.

"I don't need your help okay, I'm...I'm doing perfectly fine." Anna barked back without that air of certainty in her voice.

This made it too easy for her friends not to be convinced in the slightest as Lilo remarked "You don't look fine to us, at all. Please Anna just tell us what happened, we want to help."

Anna gave a pitifully weak glare back at her friend. "I don't need your help, and nothing happened." she lied, already breaking the promise she had set up for herself.

Lilo couldn't believe what she was hearing, all this denial over what seemed like the obvious truth. "Look at you! How can you say that you're fine when you clearly aren't?"

The raise in her friend's voice stung fiercely for Anna and it triggered the memory once more. She tore her hand out of Violet's grasp and placed much needed pressure on her aching head. "Please I...please just go, I'm fine."

"We can't leave until you tell us what happened. Anna, we only want to help you." Violet said softly after seeing what Lilo's exclamation did to their friend.

"You can't help me..." Anna whispered hoarsely, even though she really did want their help.

"What are you saying? Of course we can, that's why we're here. Just...it's okay Anna, you can tell us what happened."

She looked timidly at Violet, and it was then that a shred of logic scratched and clawed its way to the surface of Anna's distraught mind, telling her that she at least had to tell them, at least let them in. Even if it was just a little bit.

So Anna did, and she watched as her friends' faces shifted from lost yet supportive, to understanding yet disgusted over Elsa's actions. And she hated it, because to her Elsa wasn't the bad guy here.

Lilo was beside herself with disbelief. "That's...horrible! How could she do that to you?"

Stitch was still trying to process everything Anna had just said, probably foggy on the more finer details like love and...well mostly the love part.

And Violet's gaze had sunken down on the carpet. "You told her you loved her?"

All different reactions, yet none of them gave any actual solutions. "Maybe you guys should just go." Anna said, defeated.

"After what you just told us? No Anna, you're clearly not taking this well and you need us here to help you." Lilo protested.

"How? What could you possibly do or say to make me feel better?" there was desperation in the redhead's voice, she was truly begging for an answer if it meant she could finally start to heal and think straight and stop being so messed up all the time.

But just as she feared, there wasn't one. Just more heart wrenching silence.

"...just go."

And this time they didn't protest. Slowly the trio started to make their way out of her room, faces fraught with guilt over being able to do nothing.

Violet held Anna's hand one more time, unable to look her in the eye. "I...got all the homework that you missed. Just feel better soon, okay?"

Anna responded by pulling her hand away and wrapping her arms tightly across her stomach. A pair of drumsticks were suddenly thrusted into her field of vision, and she immediately recognized them as her own.

I found them on the stand after the concert." Stitch said. "I was gonna give them to you...when you came back." They were placed on her lap when she didn't make any effort to take them back.

Once again Anna was left alone in her room, much farther away from a solution than she had been before, and feeling hopelessly and unbearably lost.

* * *

Elsa, in the meanwhile, was once again on the losing side to a pathetic battle with a door. Only this time she hadn't even tried knocking, stopping her progress just as her knuckles hovered mere inches away from the framed wood.

After about the hundredth utterance, the mantra had just about lost its luster and she now stood silent, wondering if this really was such a good idea. Maybe she wasn't even home, maybe she'd open the door and immediately close it once she got a good look at Elsa, maybe...maybe someone else would open it.

There were so many excuses, so many pointless reasons as to why this was a horrible plan, but the bombardment of thoughts came to an abrupt halt as her fist inconceivably made contact with the door.

Elsa waited anxiously for some sort of response, mentally telling herself that ten seconds was the limit. If ten seconds passed without any sign that someone was inside, then she would leave and try again later. And hope and pray that "later" came sooner rather than, well...not so soon.

Eight...nine...ten. That was that, she let out a defeated yet slightly relieved sigh and pivoted in order to retreat back to her.

Which was exactly when the door finally opened.

The sound of a doorknob rattling and the familiar creak of the hinges immediately brought Elsa's back to that pounding that accompanied the initial walk to the door in the first place. She turned around and locked eyes with the one person she came to see, someone she hadn't seen in a long time, and someone she had never expected to talk to again.

"Belle…"


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

**A/N: I know I know, it's been waaaaaay too long since my last update. I just got hit with a bad case of the midterms. Hopefully this makes up for lack of an update, especially since I left off on such a cliffhanger. And if it doesn't...well hopefully the next few chapters do.**

"I never thought I'd see you again." Belle sat down next to Elsa, on the same familiar couch where they had spent a good amount of their relationship on.

In the past few months, since the very last day they saw each other, Elsa hadn't gotten a single glimpse of her ex-girlfriend. And now that she was right here, right next to her, all these emotions came flooding back. Anger, confusion, that tiny sliver of affection that never ever went away, all just there in the foreground as she stared once again into those hazel eyes. Above all that she was feeling, though, was one that lay dominant above the rest: hurt.

Belle wore this uneasy smile on her face, doing her best to act like everything was fine because she didn't yet know that her infidelity had been uncovered long ago. And that hurt Elsa, so much. It caused this physical ache to manifest in her chest and made her clutch her fists and grit her teeth as she hid her emotions with her own straight face.

"H-how have you been? I don't see you around school anymore, I guess it's cause we don't have any classes together this semester." Belle chuckled nervously.

_She doesn't have a damn clue._

Elsa would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy how uncomfortable the brunette was getting, this was the same person that caused her months of emotional trauma; and, as she was finally starting to come to terms with, was the primary reason why she lashed out at Anna in such a brutal fashion.

"Elsa? Is...everything alright?"

But this wasn't what she came here for, and if she went down this road then all that she was trying to accomplish would just go up in smoke. It was time to put her clueless ex-girlfriend out of misery.

"I know you cheated on me." Elsa finally replied.

They sat in ear-piercing silence as Elsa took a good long look at the reaction from Belle as she spoke the words that had caused her anguish for days on end, all that could be heard was the droning hum of the ceiling fan above them.

"O..oh…" Belle muttered unsurely, as if she had zero confidence in that lone syllable to even project.

The blonde suspected that she wasn't going to get anything else out of her, so she continued with this quasi-speech she never thought she'd ever get to say. "I know that's why you broke up with me. Because you felt so guilty for what you did, that you didn't think you deserved me anymore. So instead of talking about this with me, you just...ended things. You wanted the pain to stop, so instead of letting me in you pushed me away. Instead of letting me love you, you...did something way fucking worse."

"Elsa, I'm so sor-"

She put her hand up to interrupt Belle; there were other things she needed to get off her chest, and there was no way she wouldn't get this all out in the open first before the brunette could reply. Besides, she had already had her chance before.

"You hurt me Belle, you hurt me so fucking bad and I had no one else to turn to. I didn't know who to talk to about this shit, because the only one that would be there to guide me, to teach me, to tell me what to do...was you. Fucking hell, you were the only person I _had_." Elsa choked up at that last statement and felt the agonizingly familiar feeling of tears about to come down. "I...I told you I loved you, and you just threw that love back in my face. And when someone else said the same exact thing to me, you know what I did? I took all of my pent-up confusion, my rage, my months of being so fucking depressed and in tears almost every goddamn day, and just let it out on her and I _hurt her_...just like you hurt me."

Belle reached a hand out to try and take one of Elsa's, ones that were clinging tightly to the fabric of her jeans. "I know I hurt you, and I'm so-"

"I'm not done!"

She stopped her approach and reeled her hand back, as Elsa let out a breath to calm herself from her outburst.

_Not like that, not anymore._

"I'm sorry." Elsa continued. "I didn't come here to yell at you. In fact I didn't even expect to say all that stuff I did earlier, it just...came out. I didn't come to make you feel guilty, or get furious and lash out, all that I really wanted to say was..."

She paused for a second, wanting to make sure she was looking directly into Belle's eyes when she said the most difficult words she'd ever think to say to the brunette, and the ones she hoped would finally be enough to fix things between them.

"...I forgive you."

* * *

The tension had dissipated quickly after those three words, and after a session of shared hugs, apologies, and enough tears to fill a small river, they both reached a level of comfortableness with each other that they hadn't felt in so long.

"Can I just ask one thing?"

"Anything, you can ask me anything and I'll answer." Belle nodded guiltily, "It's the least I can do."

Elsa put down the glass of water that Belle had brought over for her, she had to make sure she worded this right. "Why'd you do it? Like...I don't want to guilt trip you or anything, it's just that it's the one thing that's been bugging me that I don't have an answer for."

The brunette's face changed in an all too familiar way for Elsa, it was the same expression she'd get when she had to relive one of her own painful memories. "You're not gonna like this...but I was drunk. There was a party at this guy Gaston's house, and I had way too fucking much to drink. Next thing I know I'm leading him into his own bedroom and..."

Elsa winced but didn't reply, sensing that there was more to this story.

"I felt like shit afterwards, all I could think about when I sobered up was how I could do this to you. Not to myself, but to you. You were always so faithful and honest with me, and I didn't think I could ever come clean about what went on with Gaston and I."

Having the truth laid out in front of her made Elsa almost wish that she'd never heard it to begin with. This was too much, but she knew that she had to keep listening. The whole truth needed to come out if there was ever gonna be an ultimate feeling of closure.

"We never did anything more than what we did that night, although he kept coming on to me at school, usually when you weren't around. And as much as I wanted to tell him to fuck off I...I couldn't. He just had this way of saying everything I wanted to hear; and the more he said, the less I became drawn to him, and the more sick I became for betraying your trust and...and your love."

There it finally was, she had finally heard Belle say "love", in the most unexpected context. And to Elsa it felt like, well it felt like nothing. It didn't feel good, or bad, it felt like nothing. They were just four letters arranged to make a word, nothing more and nothing less.

"The guilt got so bad that I just couldn't deal with it anymore...so I did the most cowardly thing ever and broke up with you. _In a text message._" Belle leaned back on the couch and smacked her pals into her forehead."God I'm such an asshole."

_No...no you're not._

The emotions that Belle was feeling right now, the toll all this was taking on her, they were all part of this burden that Elsa was accustomed too. And because of this, she didn't see the brunette as an asshole, or a cheater, or a liar. No, all she saw her as was human, a human that made some pretty bad mistakes; and that was what kept her from getting overly furious at Belle in the first place.

"Gaston said that you told him you...were his forever. Is that true?" Elsa asked.

Belle straightened up and rubbed her eyes, wetting her already damp sleeve. "No, I never said that. I didn't really say anything much when we were together, I was too busy hating myself and wanting a way out after our breakup."

"And that's where Adam came in." Elsa replied, finally starting to piece everything together.

"Adam...yeah. He and I...it was this mix of me wanting to be free from Gaston forever and him being the only one that cared to help me, anyone I hadn't already screwed over anyway. H-how do you know about him?"

"They both got into a fight at this party at Kristoff's house, that's...actually how I found about all this."

Belle nodded slowly, as if she too was starting to piece some parts of her own puzzle together. "That explains all those bruises and cuts when he came home that one night."

"So then...you guys are still together?" Elsa asked with a small frown. She didn't have any feelings in that way for Belle anymore, but it always hurt, even the slightest bit, when your ex finally found someone to replace you.

"Yeah, we are." Belle must have noticed the change in the blonde's expression, because she reached out her hand once more and placed it successfully over Elsa's. "I know this doesn't mean much coming from me, but I know you...and it's like I said, you'll find someone whose everything you're looking for."

The frown on Elsa's face grew larger and darker as Belle said that, it was with good intentions but all it succeeded in doing was making Elsa remember why this was all happening in the first place. "I did find someone…" she let out solemnly.

"That's great!" Belle said before she noticed that Elsa wasn't as ecstatic. "I'm so happy that...wait...what's wrong?"

Elsa looked over at the concerned brunette, "You remember what I said earlier, right?"

Belle blinked as she tried to recall their previous conversation, and when she finally realized what it was that Elsa was talking about, she quickly changed her own expression. "...oh."

Elsa, as painful as it was, told Belle everything. She told her when she and Anna first met, how their relationship progressed, when they shared their first kiss (which, despite the situation, made Belle let out an audible "aww"), when they dated, and finally when everything fell apart. Elsa herself had gone through an array of emotions as she thought back to the good times and the gravely awful times, or more specifically where they were at now.

And despite everything that happened between them, Elsa was still desperate enough to ask Belle what she should do.

"Honestly Elsa I...I don't know. I'm really sorry, I wish I could help you but I can't." Belle replied regretfully. "Your best bet is to talk to her, just explain why you reacted the way you did. If she really does love you then she'll probably understand."

The frustrated blonde sighed and groaned into her palms, "I know that, but...but I'm scared okay?" Elsa found herself surprised at her own words, these were ones she had never said before but now that they were out in the open, they made perfect sense. "What if she doesn't understand? What if she hates me? What if...what if I'm too late?"

"No no you can't think that way, you hear me?" Belle said comfortingly. "If she loves you like you say she does, then it's _not _too late."

"How can you be so sure about this?"

"Because…" the brunette, who was on a strange level of support right now, sighed before continuing. "...because you've been through some serious shit, okay? You deserve to be happy, and if she's the key to that then you can't give up."

"I just don't know. I want this to work out but...I'm scared, I'm really..._really _scared."

"Okay look." Belle scooted closer to the defeated blonde and placed her hand back onto Elsa's, the one that was slapped away earlier when Elsa had groaned into her palms. "If you really want this to work out, if you're seriously committed to getting Anna back, then you just need to ask yourself one thing. Only one thing, and I promise you it'll make the rest of your decisions a lot easier."

Elsa sniffled, "What's that?"

"Do you love her too?"

She didn't immediately answer, how could she really? The question hit her like an oncoming train because of just how simple yet daunting it was. Did she love Anna back? Was all of this trouble, all of this pain, worth it?

The more that Elsa continued to think on this, the more she realized that there was really no need to think so hard on it. After all, only someone completely insane would go through all these lengths just for one girl if the answer wasn't so obvious.

"Of course I do." she answered without a shadow of a doubt.

Belle wrapped the blonde up in a hug, something they had both never suspected to do ever again, and smiled. "Then go get her back."

* * *

**A/N: Yeah I know, the ending was a bit too romantic comedy movie ending...ish. But I thought it was cute to end it here.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

**A/N: Weeeeee are finally getting into the thick...of the ending. Sorta. Maybe. Okay so yeah we're almost kind of done soon. There's some number of chapters left. Alright I'm gonna be honest I still have no idea **_**where **_**I'm gonna end this, but I do know how. Also sorry for the late update again, university's kicking my ass. But on the bright side, finals are soon and after that it's writing time. Then again by that time I'll probably be like three chapters away from finishing the story...maybe.**

* * *

The only solace that Elsa could take in the fact that Anna wasn't showing up to class was the fact that it meant she was able to pick up Elise a lot earlier than usual. Which meant less time waiting around in her school's parking lot, and more time trying to construct two plans of action: how to actually get the attention of Anna's parents, and what the hell she was even supposed to say to them.

It was a new start to a new week, only a few days removed from her revelating talk with Belle. As Elsa waited for her sister to make her way outside and into her car, she went over the pitiful scraps of what she called her "Speech for Forgiveness, Redemption, and Basically Everything She Could Possibly Say to Get Anna Back". She promised to come up with a better name letter.

"Okay so…" she began with a sigh. "I start off with a hundred apologies, a thousand promises to never hurt their daughter again, and if that doesn't work I...bribe them...with a million dollars...that I got from a magical necklace..."

Elsa groaned and repeatedly smacked her head against the window. "Oh my god I'm fucking hopeless."

Irony, she pondered, was an irritatingly fickle thing. Nothing in her life ever really went according to plan, at least not her plan; and with relationships that truth magnified. Now here she was, in possibly the first situation in her life where a plan may not only work, but was basically required, and she was drawing a blank. A huge, mocking, blank.

Apologizing to her sister was a daunting task, but she somehow got through it with their relationship still intact, and healing pretty rapidly even. Confronting Belle was something she never pictured herself doing in a billion years, but she did that too and now they were...well they weren't back to the point that they had been back when they together, but at least now things didn't seem so hostile. Elsa had done the impossible twice this month, but for some reason this was the one task where she just couldn't figure a game plan for.

The passenger side door opened and she turned around, smiling at her little sister as she got in. "How was your day?"

Elise chuckled, "It was great, _mom_."

Elsa punched her lightly on the shoulder, "Oh shut up you jerk. I'm legitimately asking you how your day's been."

The younger sister rolled her eyes and groaned, "It was good. I didn't get any homework, like zero, and I got a B+ on my algebra test. So yeah, pretty good day!"

"Well I'm glad to hear that." Elsa promised herself that from now on she would always cherish every happy moment she shared with her sister. It was a promise she would most likely forget in a year or two, but for now it was one she was determined to keep.

"Aww, thanks!" Elise's seatbelt clicked as she put it on. "...mom." She had added that last word under her breath.

Elsa rubbed the back of her neck, dreading what she would have to ask next. The one question she had so far gotten a negative answer to every time. Yet even though the response was pretty much immediate, unsurprising, and unmotivating, she still needed to ask. "So...I guess Anna's not back yet?"

"Oh she is."

_Wait, what?_

"Wait, what?"

Elise nodded, completely oblivious to her older sister's disbelief. "Yeah she came back today actually, I tried to talk to her but...she just looked too sad and I didn't want to disturb her."

Something inside of Elsa clicked as she interrupted her little sister. "And you're just telling me this now?!"

"Well...yeah?" the younger blonde was confused. She wasn't entirely sure what it is that she had done wrong in order to make her sister react like this...again. "Are you okay Elsa? Did I say something wrong again? I don't under-"

"Elise, I ask you this same question every day! Don't you see how important this-" Elsa stopped herself before she went off on her sister again, after all it wasn't Elise's fault that she never knew why Elsa asked this all the time. Still, something inside of the older blonde had clicked once Elise said Anna was back in school. There was just something that told her to screw the plan, to ditch the speech...and to do something drastic. "Sorry I just...I never told you why I asked every day, did I?"

"No you didn't" Elise replied, still shaken up by her older sister's outburst.

"Look, I'll explain later just…" Elsa unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door. "Stay here for a bit okay, I'll be back."

"O...okay, I'll just...be here."

Before Elsa closed her door, she felt one spark of what she assumed was either stark stupidity or blind ingenuity, and she poked her head inside her car. "Oh, and can you do me one _really _big favor?"

* * *

Against all her insecurities and fears, Anna made the brave step of coming out of her room and actually making an effort to go to school. Her parents were concerned, which was made exceptionally known every five minutes that they asked her if she was sure she wanted to go back, but nonetheless were still supportive of her decision. It was bad enough being out of all her classes for _one _week, she didn't want to push it too far.

Pushing things too far, she saw the sickening irony in that.

However, not a single period had passed before Anna had begun to tell herself that this was an awful idea. She wasn't ready yet to face her teachers, her classmates, her friends. She wasn't ready to face reality; the depressing, pitiful reality that no matter what she did, no matter who she surrounded herself with, she would always be alone and unloved.

Her classes went by in a blur and she hadn't registered a single one of the lectures, whenever her teachers expressed their joy in having Anna back in class, she responded with apathetic smile and a polite yet brief "Thanks."

Because she was so uncharacteristically quiet today, she had filled the void that would have been filled with friendly conversations and jests with keen, pessimistic observations of her surroundings. She noticed behind the courteous smiles of her teachers that shadow of apprehension, that instinct to stay away from someone so unpredictable and moody. Even from her friends during lunch and band she could see how weary they were to not say the wrong things and just continue to do what her parents had been doing that entire damn morning.

"Anna, are you sure you're fine being here?"

"...yeah."

Even from Elise, who was now just a stark reminder of the relationship she had severely damaged, she could sense how uncomfortable she felt just being in the same class as the redhead.

She hated everything and everyone, but none more so than she hated herself.

Finally, after a long and godawful day, she could finally go back home, back to the confines of her room, back to the only place that she could breathe. It was only a matter of time before her father was finished with his own work and they could drive back.

"Almost done?" Anna asked as she sat down anxiously on a plastic chair in her father's office.

She saw the reflection of her father's reassuring smile from the glint of his computer screen. "Gimme ten minutes and we'll be good to go, alright?"

She tried to muffle the sigh that escaped her lips, "Okay…"

"How was school today?"

A shiver coiled down her spine as that completely expected question came from her father. There was no way she could tell the truth and say that it was one of the most miserable days of her life, not after putting on such a "brave" face that whole morning. "It was fine." she answered with indifference.

From the same glint, she could see his disappointment at her response, but also the way he understood that this was something she didn't feel like talking about at the moment. "Hey, why don't you go take a walk for a bit, get some fresh air? I'll call you when I'm done here."

As much as she hated the idea of leaving her father's side, the only person she could trust and actually be around right now, she also felt like it was unhealthy to just sit there and fester in her thoughts. So she agreed and walked out of his office, right as her phone began to ring.

Every inch of her was screaming not to pick it up and answer, but a tiny part of her was still pining for even a miniscule amount of social interaction with anyone other than her parents, even if she couldn't find it in herself to incite any real conversations today. "Hello?" she answered without even bothering to look at the Caller ID.

"_Anna? Hey, it's Elise! I saw you today and you looked really sad, I was just wondering if everything was okay." _

"Elise...umm...hey. Yeah yeah, everything's fine." Anna lied. "Did you need something?"

"_No, not r-I mean, uh...yeah! I actually do! There was, uh...something I accidentally forgot to give you last time you tutored me. Could you meet me at your locker? Like right now?"_

"Right now?" Anna pondered this for a bit, after all she did have at least ten minutes. But did she really want the first person she talked to, besides her parents, be Elise? It wasn't that she was a bad person, far from it she was actually one of the best friends she ever made this year, but...there was only one person she wanted to see. And seeing that person felt like a dwindling opportunity already out of her grasp. Still, if there was anything she had learned it's that things never really go the way she planned. "Uh...sure. Yeah I can meet you there."

* * *

_3:15_

Elsa leaned anxiously on the locker she vaguely remembered was Anna's, a bead of sweat trickled down her face and she clutched her phone like it was a flashlight and she was trapped inside a vast, ominous cavern.

Maybe this _was _a terrible idea, maybe she _should _have stuck with the plan, maybe she should just get away from here and go back to her car where things were safer and much less confrontational.

_No no no no, you came too far. You can't just back out now._

Her foot tapped restlessly on the tacky, purple and green tiled floor as she scanned left and right waiting both anxiously and excitedly for Anna to make her way over and for her to say...what the hell was she gonna say?

Elsa let out a panicked breath, "Okay so...maybe I should start with-"

Her hopeless planning session was interrupted as her phone vibrated. She looked down to see who it was that was texting her.

_Elise: Alright I called Anna, she should be on her way soon._

Despite everything that happened, despite all the apprehension she had over even walking over here, Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, she was now at this point of no return but this also meant that no matter what things were finally going to be resolved right here, right now.

She decided to push off of the locker and walk down a hallway to get rid of the restlessness in her legs, and also to send a much needed thank you text to the greatest little sister in the world.

_Elsa: Thanks Elise, you've been a really big hel__

Before Elsa could complete her text she bumped into what she assumed was a small, fleshy wall and she felt herself knocked off her feet. The force had also caused her to drop her phone, and just as she was about to shout out a rather vulgar exclamation, she caught a glimpse of what it was that had dropped her onto the floor.

For the first time since the Friday night that had changed her life, she was finally looking into the eyes of the girl she had hurt, who had almost the same exact expression she had last seen her with.

Plan or no plan, it was time to fix this.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

**A/N: Well I really hope you like this chapter because I really enjoyed writing it. And lemme tell ya I did NOT enjoy writing the last few because I hate putting characters through tough situations like that. Also some bad news and some good news...maybe. Bad news is it's pretty much Finals time for me for the next like threeish weeks (well not counting next week cause that's Thanksgiving and no one works on that day...right?), but after that my semester is pretty much over and I can put more time and effort in concluding this story for good. Unless, I mean, this chapter right here is the last one.**

* * *

After clumsily getting up off the tile floor, Elsa was left with an entirely new dilemma: how in the hell was she supposed to start this? Where was she even going to begin? Should she just straight up go for it and start apologizing profusely? Did she start with awkward small talk first and ramp it up until things were all finally out in the open? Or did she just wait like an idiot for Anna to initiate the conversation instead?

With her mind pretty much checked out, her mouth decided to get the ball rolling in its stead. "I have some things I need to say." Elsa finally uttered.

Anna stood in front of her still with that same shocked expression, as if she had seen a ghost, but it softened just a tiny bit and she didn't interrupt, so Elsa took that as a sign to keep going.

There was only one logical way to continue after that, and she let out a heavy sigh before she started her confession. "A few months ago, way before I even met you...I was in this relationship with this girl named Belle. It was my first time being with...well anyone really and I was so surprised at just how happy she made me, and vice versa. We were perfect together; and I...I loved her."

She saw Anna wince slightly, which was a completely justified reaction. But even so she still didn't interrupt. "It was when I finally realized this that-well that's when things started to turn to shit. She became so distant and wouldn't talk to me about anything, one day when she was in my room she...she just stormed out and for the longest time I didn't know why."

Elsa decided to leave out the reason they were in her room for the sake of Anna's psyche; she had hurt the poor girl enough, the last thing she wanted was to leave her with the awful mental image of her and her ex going to a place they had hadn't gone to...yet.

_This is NOT the time for you to start thinking like that._

She cleared her throat, more so to get rid of that protruding mental image of the two doing something highly inappropriate. "The next day she texted me saying that she couldn't be with me anymore and I was devastated. I never got a straight answer from her as to why she was acting the way she was. It hurt, so much. But instead of asking why she was doing this I kept begging her to stay and...well I was so desperate I texted her that I loved her. In a last-ditch effort to keep her from breaking up with me."

She leaned on Anna's locker and tilted her head up to block the tears from falling, even after her conversation with Belle she still felt the aftershocks of trauma from just speaking these words out loud. But she couldn't break down now, not when she was so close to having all of this out in the open.

"...she didn't feel the same way. And we broke up; but it fucked me up for so long afterwards. I had no one, _no one_, to talk to about this. Only Elise, and even she couldn't help me with everything. I was so broken afterwards, so messed up in the head that I kept telling myself that...I couldn't be loved. That love was just something that would never happen for me. That on the astronomical chance that it ever _did _happen...well that just meant the person that said it was obviously lying."

She glanced back down when she felt the tears begin to subside, and stared straight back at Anna, whose expression had changed. Instead of that sickening look of shock, there was something else. Maybe it was guilt, maybe it was understanding, maybe it was pity. She wasn't entirely sure. But her face now had this look of sternness, almost intense in a way, and her hands were clutched close to her heart.

"I know…" Elsa continued, deciding not to take too long in interpreting the redhead's expression. "I know that this doesn't excuse the way I acted, I know that nothing will ever make up for the way I hurt you, but I just needed you to know why. And I know that this is asking for so much when I really shouldn't...but I hope there's some small part of you that can forgive me. Because I'm really, _really _sorry for the way I hurt you Anna. You're the most amazing girl in the world and you deserve someone who's not as fucked up as me. You deserve someone who's everything that you're looking fo-"

Before she could continue her long, drawn-out apology, she felt a hand grip tightly to the collar of her shirt and a pair of lips come up to press onto her own.

* * *

There was something oddly poetic about Anna's latest and undoubtedly her most startling encounter Elsa. Maybe it was fate that caused her to walk down that hallway that day, maybe it was her reluctance to spend another minute in her dad's claustrophobic office, or maybe it was the cunning work of a certain 14 year old blonde that she would either thank or kill later depending on how this scenario played out.

A part of her, a large and intrusive part, wanted desperately to turn the other way, to not hear Elsa out, and to just live out her life wallowing in self-pity and unanswered questions. But that was incredibly stupid; and just because she wasn't in her right mind emotionally, didn't mean the same could be said for her more logical side.

So against all better judgement she decided to hear the older blonde out, and by the end of her confession she was insanely glad that she did.

Her emotions made a complete 180 as each detail unraveled; with each answered question she went from apprehension and trepidation, to understanding and empathy. If she was watching some romantic comedy or reading some poorly written fanfiction, this would be around the time she would start yelling at the clueless female lead to ditch the dysfunctional sucker for someone that had a less messed up past. But this wasn't either of those, this was her own life. Besides, that would just cause more hurt feelings and trauma than before.

And yes Elsa hurt her, yes her reaction was pretty over the top, yes it did leave her in a pitiful mess for days, but she couldn't fault Elsa for any of it. Anna didn't know until now that the pain she herself was feeling couldn't even begin to compare to the pain Elsa had been carrying around for months.

Elsa was still speaking, still apologizing, and before she made her move Anna curled her lips up into the first smile she had attempted earnestly since the last time they were together. With newfound strength, she shut up the blonde with a kiss that gave half of her answer.

Anna wasn't going to forgive her, well...she wasn't _just _going to forgive her. No, she was going to do more than that.

She finally pulled apart from Elsa, bit her lip, and gave the other half of her answer: "I love you."

* * *

"I love you."

Just hearing that phrase again felt like every single birthday, every single Christmas, every award, every kindhearted word, and every cherished moment of Elsa's all wrapped up into three little words and lifted her spirits in a way that any of those could ever do combined. She was so sure that when she felt that hand wrap around her collar that she was about to get the hardest slap of her life. Or a punch; Elsa just assumed that Anna was one of those people who had an insanely powerful left hook.

But instead she got the most amazing response ever.

She was overcome with indescribable joy, and she pulled the redhead in for a tight hug. The overwhelming feeling of being with Anna again, to have her say those words in a much brighter context than before, caused those tears to come back. And this time she let those flow in the comfort of the crook of Anna's neck. Hopefully she didn't stain her shirt too bad.

"Anna…" she mumbled, "I-"

"Shh." Anna interrupted. "You don't need to apologize, I've already forgiven you. Besides, it's not like you're the only one that's been keeping secrets."

Elsa regrettably pulled them apart, looking confusingly at Anna, "What do you…"

_Oh, right. Her parents. Shit._

Much to her dismay, Elsa wasn't out of the woods yet. She had jumped the gun and went straight to apologizing to Anna, which arguably was the hardest part of her quest, but there was still the daunting task of trying to gain the trust of the redhead's parents. Which she still had no gameplan for.

Anna looked down and continued. "I...I hid our relationship from my parents. I really didn't mean to, but it's just that they made this ridiculous rule that I couldn't date anyone they didn't already know, and who wasn't going to my school. And they made it as...as soon as I started to have feelings for you."

"...oh." Elsa replied.

_Well that explains a lot._

Any other day, possibly any day where she hadn't been guiltily holding on to her own darkest secret, she may have been miffed at the idea of Anna never bringing up the fact that they were dating to her parents. But given the circumstances...if Anna could be so unbelievably understanding over Elsa's situation, then she could do the same.

"I'm sorry, it's just...I really wanted to be with you. And I didn't want some bogus rule keeping us apart. I know it's asking for a lot, but can you forgive me?"

_That's not asking for a lot. At all._

She gently cupped the guilty redhead's cheek and kissed her back, putting as much tenderness and compassion that Anna had given from her own. And when she pulled away, she gave the most blatantly obvious answer, but also the most truthful:

"I love you too."

* * *

It finally happened, and it may have taken a bit of time but she finally heard the words she expected a couple weeks ago. Those four words had filled Anna up with such unimaginable bliss and she sensed that it had done the same for Elsa. After so many wrong turns and days of unending pain and sorrow, things were finally right again. Like a ray of sunshine breaking through the gray streak of clouds after a week-long storm.

She was hopelessly, unbelievably happy, which made her reaction that much more out of place, and yet still somehow in character.

"That doesn't really answer my question." Anna giggled.

Thankfully Elsa knew her so well that she took that in the best way possible and also laughed. "Of course I forgive you, you stinker."

"Just…are you sure that this won't happen again? Are you sure you're gonna be okay from now on?" Anna felt guilty even having to ask this after hearing Elsa's confession.

"I promise you I will never hurt you again." Elsa replied. "I love you Anna, and the last thing I'd ever want is to ever see that look I gave you that day again."

Anna smiled, because she knew without a doubt that she could trust her. She just needed to be sure.

From now on there would be no more secrets between the two, they would do whatever it took to make sure that they would alway be together. She wrapped her arms around the older blonde one more time and sighed contently.

From now on, they would face any problem together. No matter how big, no matter how personal, and no matter who they needed to confront.

* * *

**A/N: Dun dun DUUUUUUN. Nah I'm just kidding this isn't the last chapter. We've still got a bit more to go till the end, but we're wrapping this sucker up so stay tuned in the coming weeks in case I'm somehow able to squeeze out one more chapter before I get super busy.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

**A/N: Well we're almost sorta close to the end I think. I mean I've really got stuff lined up for about three more chapters so I guess so. Anyway my semester's officially over so for the next three weeks I can prioritize this a lot better than when I did before. Hopefully this chapter is to snuff with the fluff! Holy crap that was a terrible rhyme.**

* * *

And they lived happily ever after…is what should have happened after Anna and Elsa literally kissed and made up. But life doesn't get storybook endings like that, and things aren't all sugar and rainbows after a couple finally gets back together.

Once Anna seemed to show signs of recovery, her parents made a drastic shift in personalities from cautious and calm, and became, according to the redhead:

"Helicopter parents!" she groaned into her phone as she restlessly kicked the blanket straight off her bed. "They're being complete and total helicopter parents and it sucks!"

"_Oh come on, they can't be _that _bad."_

"Oh trust me, they're _that _bad. Like they ask me all the time where I'm going, who I'm talking to, who I'm with. It's just crazy, it's like once I stopped being all moody and depressed they felt like I could handle them being so overprotective and paranoid. I can barely get a single moment to myself anymore."

This was, in fact, the very first time she'd ever been truly alone in a long while. Her parents had left to go get groceries and after some heavy convincing to leave her alone to "catch up on homework", they agreed to let her finally spend some time alone. But not before doing something drastic.

"_Anna you're being ridiculous here."_

"_I'm _being ridiculous?!" Anna exclaimed while simultaneously shooting up off her bed.

"_Yes, you know they're just doing all this because they care about you and they want you to be safe."_

"This is _not _about them wanting me to be safe." She sighed before stating something that would hopefully get the blonde on the other end to understand her predicament. "Elise, they won't allow me to go anywhere anymore. Like if it's not home or school, then I can't go. _And they deleted Elsa's number from my phone_!"

She heard Elise stammer for a little bit before speaking coherently again. _"I-I don't understand, shouldn't you have her number memorized by now?"_

"No! That's why I had her in my contact list so that I didn't _have _to memorize her number. Come on now, I bet even you don't have anyone's number memorized."

"_Uh…yeah I do. Elsa's."_

"…shut up okay, she doesn't count." Anna sighed as she forlornly fell on her side, landing back on her bed. "How is she by the way? I haven't talked to her in a week."

"_She's doing fine. I mean she finally cleaned her room so I _guess_ she's doing okay. Honestly aside from her constantly telling me how much she misses you, this is the happiest I've seen her in a while."_

Anna's cheeks warmed up to an unconcealed red over Elise's comment, she could barely contain all of the joy she felt from hearing that Elsa missed her.

After their reunion over at the high school a week ago, they hurriedly agreed to a few terms before they inevitably had to separate again. The first being that they were both absolutely sure that they were ready and willing to pick up where they left off, clearly they still felt strongly for each other and not pursuing this again would probably kill them both. The second term they agreed to? No more secrets. From now on they told each other anything and everything, the lies they kept telling only hurt things more than they helped. And the third…

"_Oh hey, how did you end up telling your parents that you're back together again?"_

She didn't respond right away, which gave Elise the answer she needed, but not the one she wanted.

"_Anna…you _did _tell them you two are back together, right?"_

"I…I mean…" Anna stammered out. "Not yet?"

* * *

"You haven't told them you're back together yet?!"

Elsa winced and kept her sheepish gaze down and away from the judgmental and astonished glare from her dark-haired friend. "Do you have to say that so loud?"

"Of course I..." Mulan groaned and pointed her salad fork accusingly at the blonde, who was trying her best to seem super interested in the napkin dispenser on their table. "Elsa, if you want things to work with Anna again you have to _stop _with the lies, not continue where you left off!"

"I know that, okay?!" Elsa replied. "_We _know that."

"Then why are you making the same mistake?"

"We're not! Look…" the blonde started to explain. "…we decided that this was something that…well it wasn't something that could just be made up on the spot. And like…I've been trying for forever to come up with just the most sincere apology to her parents and I wasn't getting anywhere. So Anna agreed to help me out with this so I wouldn't have to face them alone."

This was term number three, the last and most important priority that the couple had agreed on. And while Elsa was relieved to get some help on hopefully the last awkward conversation she'd have in a long while, she was still dreading the actual speaking part.

After all, things never went according to plan for her. What if Anna's parents decided that her apology wasn't good enough? What if she was threatened off their front porch by Anna's shotgun-wielding dad ("My dad doesn't have a shot gun!" "Yeah but he could _get_ one.")? What if…what if she just made things worse instead of better?

Truth be told Elsa was scared, hell she was downright terrified. But she suppressed that fear because it wasn't going to do her any favors, and she had to be strong and brave and all that superhero crap. If not for her, then for Anna.

"Well do you at least know what you're going to say?"

Elsa drew away from her personal pity party and gave a guilty look to Mulan. She shook her head, of course she didn't know what to say. If she had, then this would have all been dealt with by now. But instead of torturing herself by continuing to shoot down every half-assed, terrible solution that she came up with, she decided to distract herself instead, at least for the time being, by having lunch with her friend.

_Where the hell is your food anyway? It's been like half an hour._

And there was also another reason why she specifically chose Mulan to have lunch with today.

"Look Elsa, you need to-"

"I need your help." The blonde interrupted.

"I…huh?" Mulan responded in bewilderment. "Why me?"

"Because…" despite herself, Elsa held onto her friend's hand that had been lying dormant on the wooden table. She wasn't really sure why, it just seemed like the right kind of…comforting gesture. "Look, you've been the person that I've gone to when it's come to relationship stuff for like this whole year. The guys…I don't think they'd understand, but you get me. So I'm asking you, for hopefully the last time…please help me figure out how to not fuck this up anymore."

The dark-haired girl looked down at her friend's anxious hand, and then back up with a goofy and exaggerated smile.

"What? What is it? Do I have something in my hair?" Elsa asked.

"No no it's just…I can't believe just a few months ago I was helping you puke into a toilet, and now you're asking me for relationship advice." Mulan sighed jokingly. "We've sure come a long way."

Elsa pulled her hand back and ran them both through her hair, pouting exasperatedly. "Do you really have to word it like that? Anyway as much as I want to get all sappy and nostalgic here, I really need your help so…okay?"

"And I think that you _don't _really need my help."

* * *

"What do you mean we don't need help?" Anna asked with genuine concern and confusion.

"_Well for one thing, I honestly don't know what I can really give you in terms of advice. I mean I've never even been in a relationship before."_

"Which I think is crazy by the way, cause you're cute as crap." She wanted to add more, like how she may have sorta had a crush on her back when they were both in middle school, and also how one of her own friends has a crush on her now. But that first point really didn't matter right now, and the second one was something she probably should let Stitch work on himself. And also there was the matter of what the hell Elise meant by she didn't need help in telling her parents about her getting back together with Elsa.

"_And another thing…" _Elise continued, seemingly brushing off Anna's strangely honest comment. _"…have you _ever_ planned something and then have everything just go off without a hitch?"_

"Of course not, but what does that have to do with…" Anna paused as a mental lightbulb went off. "…oh."

* * *

The two friends' conversation took a brief pause once their food finally showed up at the table; and after one unrelated conversation about how they were starving, and two empty trays later, they continued where they left off. With Mulan giving a completely reasonable and logical explanation to her answer.

Elsa scratched her head, thoroughly confused, "I…I still don't get it. Why don't I need to plan out this super important and life-changing conversation again?"

"Because it doesn't _have _to be important and life changing." Mulan groaned. "Don't you understand?"

_Nope._

"Not even a little bit."

"Okay let's see if I can explain it a bit better."

_Please do._

"You think that if you say the wrong thing to Anna's parents, then that might close the door on your relationship with her forever. That it will just ruin this happy, storybook ending because of one screw-up."

Elsa could already tell where this was going and wanted to stop her friend from saying something she had already told herself before. "Mulan, I know you mean well but if you're gonna tell me that I'm being irrational and there's no way to know for sure that Anna's parents won't be understanding then-"

"Actually that's not where I was going at all so let me finish."

"Wait, wha-"

"Have you ever once considered that maybe none of that happy storybook ending nonsense, or any of that 'Anna's parents are going to kill me' nonsense, is just…well, nonsense? That maybe the only way for you to stop worrying about what to say is just to stop worrying about what to say?"

The vagueness and abstract thinking that Elsa had to do was doing a number on her head and she rubbed her temple with her thumb like she was getting a splitting migraine. "Okay you really need to stop being all vague and abstract or else we're gonna be here forever."

"Maybe your problem isn't that you don't know what to say, maybe your problem is that you think whatever you _do _say just won't be good enough."

"Well yeah, that's kinda what I've been getting at-"

"Elsa you're so caught up on this fear that it's stopping you from even attempting to talk to her parents. You think that there's just this automatic end result of you failing miserably. Well let me tell you, what evidence do you have that this actually _will _end badly?"

The blonde looked at her friend like she had asked what 2+2 was. "Gee I dunno, how about the whole thing with me screaming at her and hurting her, and then her running away crying, and then her dad threatening me? I think that's good evidence, right?"

"Yeah but just remember a couple things here." Mulan replied while pointing a finger towards Elsa. "You had just gotten in a big fight with Elise, you hadn't forgiven Belle yet, and you acted irrationally because of that. None of that was your fault. And now…well where are you now?"

Elsa really wanted to argue Mulan's points but there was no denying the truth. She did act irrationally, and it took some time to admit but her reaction wasn't totally her fault. And where was she now? Well she was three heartfelt conversations removed and one daunting conversation away from pure and total joy and relief.

Things were finally starting to click, and she thought back to those conversations and realized how wrong her perspective had been this entire time. Never in a million years did she expect Elise to forgive her, and now it's like they had never even fought at all. She never thought she'd ever see Belle again, let alone forgive her, and she had done just that. And Anna…well…what the hell was she so worried about again?

She sighed, "It can't be that easy, can it?"

"I'm not saying it'll be easy." Mulan corrected. "I'm just saying that once you stop worrying about an outcome that probably won't happen, once you stop trying to find the perfect words to say and just admit that you're really good at just speaking from the heart, then this will be a lot _easier_."

Elsa smiled at Mulan and nodded, counting herself lucky to have so many smart people to turn to and remind her when she was being stupid and irrational. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and stared determinedly into the unlit screen, she knew what she had to do now.

* * *

"I…hold on a second Elise I just got a text." Anna looked down at her phone and gasped when she saw an unfamiliar number with a text message that revealed who it was right away. "Oh my god it's Elsa, but…how?"

"_Umm…because she still has your number?"_

"Wait what? She does?"

"_Well yeah, just cause it's not on your phone anymore doesn't mean it isn't on hers."_

"I…huh, yeah that makes sense."

The redhead heard an immediately recognizable sigh followed by a reply that was undoubtedly dripping with sarcasm, _"You two are so perfect for each other. Anyway what did she say?"_

Anna took a second to fully read the message and responded with a small bit of surprise, but mostly with dread and uncertainty, "She said she's coming over to my house. Right now."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

**A/N: Well to make up for the insanely short chapters recently, this one's going to be on the long side. Probably one of the longest ones I've written. And for obvious reasons too.**

"_Are you insane?! You can't come to my house now, we don't even know what to say yet!" _

Elsa winced and pulled the phone away from her ear, it wasn't the first time she'd been yelled at today and it probably wouldn't be the last. She steadied her other hand on the steering wheel and continue simultaneously driving to Anna's house and trying her hardest to convince Anna that what she was doing was a good idea.

Something that she was still trying to convince herself of.

"Okay clearly you're upset here but just-"

"_Upset? Upset?! Are you kidding me?! I'm…actually I'm not upset now that I think about it. But…you can't come here _now_ without even telling me beforehand! Elsa, we talked about this."_

"I know we talked about this okay? But I'm gonna tell you my plan right now before I do something…" Elsa sighed before she continued and decided that the best way to explain herself was probably to start at the beginning. "…unbelievably stupid. Listen, I was talking to my friend earlier about how much trouble we were having with coming clean to your parents, and she gave me some advice that really helped."

"Alright so she told me to stop being anxious about what to say and just follow my gut or whatever, it helped me talk to Elise, to Belle, and to you."

Clearly she was paraphrasing some things, it was hard to recall an entire conversation and drive to an address she had gotten from her sister literally like five minutes ago.

"Anyway yeah, so I'm coming to your house right now and I'm gonna go ahead and say whatever it is that comes off the top of my head, and hope your dad doesn't shoot me with his shotgun."

"_My Dad does _not _have a…" _Anna groaned. _"Okay look, my parents aren't even home yet. If you can get here before they do, can you just promise me that you and I can at least get _some _sort of game plan before you just say whatever it is you're going to say?"_

There didn't seem to be any sense in arguing something that reasonable, so Elsa nodded. And then realized that was stupid since Anna couldn't see her nod anyway.

"_I'm gonna assume that silence means that you just nodded. Or you hung up on me. Please don't let it be the second one or else-"_

"Yes that was a nod." Elsa replied with a helpless chuckle, Anna knew her too well. "I'll be there in like…I dunno how long, but I'll be there. As long as I don't get lost."

* * *

Anna hung up and let out an exasperated combination of a sigh and a groan. She should have been mad that Elsa went behind her back and decided for the both of them that they were going to talk to her parents. Right now. Without anything prepared.

She really should have been mad.

But she wasn't.

Truth be told, had Elsa not taken the initiative here, Anna probably would have just continued to let this conversation slide. Because as much as she wanted to abide by the whole "No more lies or secrets" condition, living up to it was a lot harder than expected.

She was still hung up on the idea that coming clean would ruin things forever with Elsa, again. And this time it would probably be permanent.

But still, she loved Elsa and would do anything and everything to be with her. And before, she thought that meant keeping their whole relationship secret from just about everyone. Now, whether she liked it or not, it seemed that the best way to keep them together was to do the complete opposite. No matter the outcome.

The unmistakable sound of a car pulling into the driveway and walked towards the door to let the blonde in; however as soon as she opened and saw that her parents were here and not Elsa, her temporary boost in confidence and assuredness had immediately drained.

She shut the door in a totally not suspicious at all manner and tried to catch her breath.

"Okay…" Anna panted. "So Elsa's not here yet, that's…not a problem. At all. I just…have to stall them! Yeah, that's all I have to do."

She felt the door knob turn in her hand that she had apparently clutched like a life preserver, and she backed away from the door while putting on a smile that hopefully didn't look as fake as it felt.

"Heeeey guys!" Anna exclaimed a bit too cheerfully once her parents opened the door. She mentally forced herself to tone down the act before they caught on.

Unfortunately it was too late for that. The unexpectedly excited greeting, the tacked on smile, and the extremely suspicious way that Anna was just standing there in the living room like she had been waiting for them like a dog, her father knew immediately that something was up.

"Anna…what's going on?"

* * *

Elsa let out a relieved combination of a sigh and a groan. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, the light turned green and she revved out of the intersection at a reasonable speed. Just one more turn and she'd finally be there.

In a perfect world, she could have met Anna's parents on better circumstances. Probably over dinner, they'd have macaroni and cheese that Anna's mom had made (she just kind of assumed that Anna's mom knew how to make macaroni and cheese).

_But no broccoli because broccoli sucks. _

They'd share hilarious stories and bond over stuff the whole night, and then Elsa would leave with the satisfaction that she had somehow charmed the redhead's parents well enough that the age gap was no longer a problem.

But that perfect world sounded incredibly boring; besides, macaroni and cheese wasn't all that good anyway. If she was being completely honest with herself, she sort of liked that things turned out the way they did. All the initial awkwardness between her and Anna, all the secrecy, all the advice she had gotten from her much more logically inclined friends, and all the fights and conflicts. She wouldn't have done anything differently, because then she may have not learned everything that she had.

And she probably wouldn't be this determined to fight to keep Anna.

"Ah crap I'm too late, they're already here." Elsa muttered as she got to the house. So much for talking this over with Anna, looks like it was back to Plan A. Or Plan B.

_Honestly with all of the twists and turns this whole journey's taken this is probably like Plan Q or something._

* * *

Anna stammered, which was not a good way to start off any explanation ever. "Pssh, wh-what? Nothing's…nothing's going on here, what are you talking about? I-I just saw you guys pull up from my room a-and I wanted to just be here to greet you guys."

"Your room's nowhere near the driveway." Her mother pointed out.

She could feel the color drain from her face. "I-I meant I was in…your room?"

For a second, when her parents looked at each other with confused glances, she thought they bought that extremely ridiculous lie. But when her dad looked back at her with a face she hadn't seen since the last time she had been caught in a lie, she knew that that wasn't the case at all.

"Anna you have five seconds to tell us the truth."

Her heart pounded in her chest so ferociously, she swore it would rip straight through in those five seconds. "I, uh…I…the thing is…"

The pounding got so fierce she swore she could physically hear it, like a knock at the door. Until she realized that that actually was a knock at the door.

"Are you expecting someone?" her dad asked.

She would have replied, but her mouth was so dry that it was hard to just breathe properly. There was a knot in her stomach that wrenched even tighter with every step her dad took towards the front door. By the time he unlocked the door and turned the knob, Anna felt like she was going to throw up.

There was no turning back now.

* * *

"Are you expecting someone?" Elsa heard a muffled voice say through the door. When she heard footsteps getting closer and closer, the click of a lock being turned, and the door knob rattling open, she knew that there was no turning back now.

_Pretty sure there was no turning back as soon as you knocked on the door._

From the masculine voice on the other side, she knew that Anna's father would answer the door. And when they saw each other for the first time since the concert she was expecting them to have some sort of tense Mexican standoff minus the guns, but there was no time for that. She knew that once he had seen Elsa, there was more than a slight possibility that he would slam the door in her face right away. So she had to start speaking now.

"Okay before you say anything, I just need to say a few things. I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now after you saw what I did to Anna, but I just need to say a few things…I'm pretty sure I already said that."

_Wow you're really sucking at this right now you know?_

"First of all, I'm really, truly sorry for hurting Anna, and I don't expect you to forgive me. Like at all. Second…I…okay Anna I just have to come out and say it." She said while leaning over to look into the eyes of the petrified redhead. "I'm in love with your daughter, and she's in love with me."

She was going to say more, but for the first time in one of her long, drawn out speeches, she was interrupted. Not by words, but by a door slamming in her face.

_Shit._

* * *

"Dad!" Anna gasped, finally finding her voice again. "Why would you do that?!"

"Anna, go upstairs. Now. You and I need to have a talk."

She was going to continue her arguing, but the look on her dad's face, an intimidating cross between an unpredictable level of anger and a sternness that said there was no room for arguing anyway, made her immediately reconsider.

As she trudged upstairs towards her imminent doom, she heard her dad tell her mom to let Elsa in but keep her in the living room. Maybe this wasn't a hopeless endeavor after all.

* * *

Elsa's worst fear had just been realized, she had just gotten the door slammed in her face and now there was no way that she'd probably ever get near Anna again. They were probably on the phone with the cops; or worse, they were punishing Anna for getting caught up with Elsa in the first place.

She turned around with a defeated and stunned look on her face, the walk back to her car felt like the walk to the guillotine.

…_now what?_

Now? Now…now she went home.

Or at least, that was the plan anyway. Until the door opened again, but instead of a man at the doorframe this time, there was a woman. A woman who looked surprised that she was even opening the door in the first place.

"Umm…Elsa, right?" the woman seemed uncomfortable, whether it was because of the girl she had just opened the door for or because of the situation they were both in, Elsa didn't seem so sure.

Nonetheless she nodded, mostly due to the fact that her words had ironically escaped her.

The woman, who she safely just assumed was Anna's mother, moved away from the door frame and motioned her hand towards the new opening. "P-please, come inside."

As confused as she was, Elsa knew that this gesture was a blessing, not a trap. This was another chance, and probably her last, to fully explain herself.

The inside of Anna's house was humble and homely, typical family photos graced the countertops and walls and showed a happy family yet to have a wildcard like Elsa tossed into the mix. The living room, which Anna's mother explained was the only room she would be allowed in, had a clean leather couch, a stunning TV set, and a display case full of different awards and other pictures of accomplishments not just by Anna, but by her parents as well. Apparently her mother used to be an accomplished swimmer.

Elsa awkwardly sat down on the couch and scooted closer to the armrest once the woman sat down next to her, she still couldn't speak.

Luckily she didn't have to. The woman cleared her throat and stammered out her words in a very familiar manner. "I-I love my little girl. She…means the world to me, and I would do anything to protect her."

Elsa put her head down, she could tell where this was going.

"S-so when I saw…when I saw my little girl…I'd never seen her look so depressed, so defeated, so…it was like she wasn't my little girl anymore."

She heard a sniffle, a sure sign that Anna's mother had started crying. As if she didn't feel worse enough already.

"You…y-you said you love her? And she loves you?"

As much as it would pain her to look up again, to look into the eyes of a hurt mother, whose daughter she had hurt not too long ago, she knew that not answering was the wrong way to go about this. She forced her head up and stared into the tear-stained eyes of the woman who was a spitting image of the girl that she truly did love. "Yes I do." She replied faintly.

The woman nodded and wiped her face on her sleeve. "Well then…" she said hoarsely, "…you need to convince me that you will never hurt her again. You need to convince me that I'll never have to see Anna that way again. If you can do that…well then you'll have my blessing at least."

And there it was, Elsa's second chance, or third, or fourth. She had honestly lost count at this point. There was no screwing up now.

Fortunately she knew exactly what to say.

* * *

As soon as her door closed and the two were alone, Anna started on her own personal, totally well-crafted speech. "Okay Dad before you say anything, I just want to let you know that-"

"No, it's my turn to talk." Her dad interrupted, surprisingly calm. "What are you doing Anna? Your mother and I…we didn't raise you like _this_. We didn't raise you to lie, to go behind our backs, to associate with people like…people like _her._"

The venom in the way her father said that last word twisted her insides into tighter knots than she had thought imaginable. It manifested inside of her an emotion she had never felt towards any of her parents ever: anger, more specifically a feeling of resentment.

"Unstable people like her that will do nothing but hurt you, any chance she gets. We didn't raise you to make such foolish decisions!"

Anna gripped her bedsheets so hard her knuckles were white as snow, it took everything she had not to lash out right then and there.

"We tried our best to be supportive and caring when you were still recovering from that wicked girl's assault, we didn't want to kick you when you were down. You remember when we said that, right?"

She wanted to scream and shout that she wasn't assaulted, that she had already forgiven Elsa for the incident. But she bit her tongue and chose not to respond at all.

"Anna, answer me."

She didn't.

"Anna I am your father and you will answer me!"

It was at this point that she probably would have lashed out and started tearing right back into her own dad, but a sense of clarity swept through Anna. Instead she did the complete opposite, let go of her bedsheets, and let out a breath, because she knew exactly how to answer him.

"Do you remember what you guys told me when I came out to you?" she said calmly.

"What? What does that have to do with-"

"Do you remember what you said _after _I came out to you? When I asked why you were so understanding and weren't freaked out at all that your sweet, innocent 13 year old daughter somehow knew she liked girls?"

The stern, judging look on her dad's face went away and got replaced by one of stark confusion. "Anna, I don't understand-"

"Because I remember." She interrupted again. "You told me that you never had to worry about me, because I always followed through on every choice, every decision I ever made. You raised me to be honest, to be determined, and to work for everything that I ever wanted. So how is this any different?"

"Of course this is different!" her father responded while throwing his hands up in the air. "Anna, none of your past decisions ever came back to hurt you. And you were smart enough not to go back to them if they ever did."

"She has a name, you know." Anna replied, letting a tiny amount of bitterness rattle off her tongue. "Elsa never meant to hurt her, and I've already forgiven her. You want to know why? Because I _love _her, I trust her."

Even before her father spoke, she could already tell what he was going to say, and she was ready for it. "You're 14, Anna! You're…you can't possibly know what love really is."

"And how am I supposed to ever learn what it is if you're just going to brush it off cause I'm too young? I love Elsa, I love her enough not to just forgive her…but to fight and keep her. And that may not be love to you, but I know for sure that it at least shows that I will do _anything _to be with her. Even if it that means going behind your back."

"I…" he had started to speak, but for the first time he just didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to refute. Instead all he did was sigh, and try a different tactic besides a brutal, strong armed approach. "Anna...you're my daughter and I love you. Your mother and I, you know we'd do anything to protect you. From anything and anyone that could hurt you. I know it sounds like I'm being too hard, but it's only because…"

Her father sat on the bed and cautiously took Anna's hand into his own, she didn't pull away. He spoke even softer this time. "When I saw how you looked after the concert, I…I was scared. I had never seen you look so hurt before, even as a baby I can't recall anytime you ever cried after tripping or getting bruised up or anything. You were, you are, such a strong girl. But that day…that day you looked so…I overreacted, I'm not so proud as to admit that."

Despite herself, Anna clutched her father's hand tighter and looked him right in the eyes as he continued.

"When I saw…Elsa, when I saw her again. It just brought back that same memory, that same feeling. How can I trust that she won't hurt you again?"

She couldn't believe her eyes, but it looked like a single tear had formed in her father's eyes. And when Anna saw that tear, she felt herself start to tear up as well. She wiped her eyes with her free hand and smiled weakly. "I-I can't answer that for you, Dad. I can't make you trust her, but do you trust me?"

He returned the same smile in due time, and wrapped his precious daughter in his arms, who reciprocated the embrace as well as she could. "Of course I do."

* * *

"I know that just apologizing for hours and hours and…hours won't cut it, I know that promising to never hurt Anna again will just sound like an empty promise. So I guess all I can really say is…is…"

_You don't know what to say, do you?_

Not even close. For all the confidence, all the bravado that had brought Elsa here, escaped her, and then got brought back again, she truly didn't know what she could do to convince Anna's mom that she would never hurt Anna again.

So she did just that.

"I don't know what to say, I'm sorry but I really don't. All I can really tell you, no matter how repetitive it sounds, is that Anna really does mean the world to me. From the moment I hurt her, I haven't been able to suppress the guilt and forgive myself. Your daughter is an amazing human being for taking back someone so…so messed up like me, I don't deserve her."

"But I'm trying my hardest to prove to myself, to prove to her, and to prove to the both of you that I will never lay a hand on her like that again, I promise that I will treat her right for the rest of my life."

_Do, uh…do you realize what you just said?_

She absolutely did, and her face quickly went beet red as she tried to backtrack, "Erm, I…I mean…f-for at least as long as she'll have me." Elsa looked away to try and hide her rampant embarrassment, and just as Anna had done before, she heard shades of a familiar chuckle coming from the woman next to her.

"Elsa…" she heard the woman sniffle. "Elsa look at me."

Desperate to not cross any of Anna's parents anymore, she looked up shamefully into the mother's puffy, red eyes. And surprisingly, she saw a smile curve on her frail, pink lips.

"If you can look me in the eyes and tell me, truthfully, that you love my daughter…well, I won't forgive you outright, but it'll be a start."

And Elsa, who couldn't believe her luck, looked into those eyes with utter sincerity and earnestness, returned that same smile, and said without a doubt in her mind: "I love Anna, and I will do anything to be with her."

After an exchanged hug that was only slightly awkward, the two heard the rumble of footsteps coming back down to the living room. Elsa sat up and looked at Anna and her father once they came down, and for some reason she thought to restart her apology to the man. "Sir, I'm…like I was saying before, and like I was saying to your wife- who's been very understanding by the way…erm, not that I meant to say that _you're _not understanding but I just mean that…let me start from the beginning. Again. I'm very, _very _sorry that I-"

She was mercifully silenced when the man held up one of his hands.

_That. Went. Perfectly._

All four waited in silent anticipation, mixed with a blatant air of tenseness, as they waited for Anna's father to say…something.

Elsa felt so on edge that she studied the man's face carefully, as it was she really could do, and checked for any change in facial expression in order to fully realize her fate.

Unfortunately it never changed from its same rigidity that greeted her at the door, even when he started to speak. Fortunately, his words contrasted with his look and gave Elsa at least a glimmer of hope.

"Help us with the groceries." He spoke. "And then we'll talk."

**A/N: Yeah that's right, they left the groceries in the car for like 20ish minutes while they had multiple heart-to-heart conversations. The milk's probably spoiled by now, or maybe it's not. …I don't know how milk works. Anyway I've decided that there's going to be two more chapters left now that this one's done and done. One more concluding one and then an epilogue (I think that's the right word). So hold on to your hats and your butts because chances are this thing will end before the year does! Yay! Or not yay! Or both!**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Somehow Elsa helping to take the groceries out of the car turned into her helping to put them away in the fridge and pantry and all the other places groceries go in; which then turned into her helping to make dinner.

At some point she probably should have refused to keep helping, but there was still the lingering conversation she had to have with Anna's dad, not to mention Anna's mother was extremely persuasive in a way that only a mother could be.

"Oh come on now, you've already done a lot of the work and it's getting late. Why don't you stay for dinner?" the woman said, confident that Elsa couldn't possibly say no.

The blonde glanced over at her girlfriend, a word she was eternally grateful to still say, with a look that said "Pleeeeeeeeeease help me."

And Anna, who had poked her head out from behind the fridge to watch this all unfold, guiltily sent back a look of own that said "I don't know how!"

Against all better judgement Elsa sighed under her breath, to make sure that the woman didn't hear it and mistakenly assume that she just wanted to get out of their house as soon as possible, and replied in the only way she could, "Alright, I'll stay for dinner."

"Good! Because I wasn't gonna take no for an answer."

_My god, she is_ just_ like Anna._

"Hmm, let's see…what are we gonna have?" the eager woman crooned. "Ooh, I know! How do you feel about macaroni and cheese?"

Before she could stop herself Elsa snorted, and covered her mouth with a hand to stifle even more chuckles that may have risen.

"Are you alright?" Anna's mother asked, both with concern and confusion.

Elsa faked a coughing fit to keep herself from laughing even more and waved erratically at the woman's general direction. "I-I'm fine, I just…had something in my throat. Macaroni and cheese sounds great."

Anna poked her head from behind the fridge once more, this time holding a bag of some sort of puffy green stuff over her head, "Ooh, you got broccoli?! Can we have that too?"

* * *

Elsa could cook as well as a fish could ride a bicycle. Lucky for her, the directions for macaroni and cheese were right on the side of the box. Unlucky for her, there were still some terms on the box that may as well have been written in a foreign language.

"Right so uh…how do I measure a cup?" she shamefully asked.

Almost immediately, a glass cup-shaped thing with a handle and red lines on the outside appeared right at her side along with a redhead with an amused grin.

She grabbed the glass and put it under the faucet, as soon as she turned the handle and water filled the inside Elsa leaned towards the younger girl and whispered "Thank you."

"Aren't you in college?" Anna replied instead of saying "You're welcome."

"Hey I'm an English major, not a math major." Elsa pouted, as if that was actually a viable excuse for her stupidity. "Also my knowledge of cooking goes as far as pressing buttons on a microwave and pouring milk into a bowl of cereal."

Anna sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh my gosh I'm in love with an idiot."

"Anna, shouldn't you start chopping up the broccoli now?" her mother asked from the stove about five feet away, the tone of her voice signifying that she still felt uneasy whenever Elsa and Anna were in close proximity to each other. For good reason too, after all it was just twenty minutes ago that Elsa had come into their lives and professed her love to their daughter.

Speaking of professing her love, as soon as Elsa felt the water pour out of the cup and onto her hands, because she had forgotten to actually check to make sure it stayed inside the cup, she heard someone clear their throat authoritatively. She turned the water off and looked towards the source of the sound, an intimidating man with one hand in his pocket and another rubbing the back of his neck.

"Elsa, could you come with me outside for a second?" the man asked, no…it was more like he told her.

_Ah shit, well you lived a good life._

* * *

Back when they were little kids, Elsa and Elise used to get into a lot of trouble. A _lot _of trouble. As in hundreds of dollars of broken lamps, dishes, and fist-shaped holes in walls…of trouble. And their father wouldn't yell at them and give them their punishment right away; no he would just sit or kneel at the crime scene, alternate his glances from the damage to the two guilty children, and let them both fester in uncomfortableness and anxiety whilst waiting for the blade to drop.

Standing right next to the father of the girl she loved, in his backyard, as he stared out towards the rest of the suburbs, felt just like that moment…except a million times worse.

Elsa should have felt at least a tiny bit optimistic, after her successful conversation with Anna's mother, and the fact that the man didn't just go ahead and kick her out of the house, but she was so in disbelief that things had gone amazingly well that she was still waiting for things to go terribly.

_He still hasn't _said _anything! Is…is he waiting? Should you say something? What the fuck is going on?!_

"You can date my daughter."

_Oh._

"O-oh?" Elsa stammered. This wasn't how she was expecting this whole conversation to start at all, she expected more of what she had gotten with Anna's mother, probably with more sternness and manly anger. Or…dadly anger. She was so confused she was making up words to describe how confused she was.

Either that or some sort of speech to tell Elsa how much he loved his daughter and didn't want to see her get hurt and all that other built-up suspense before finally laying down the gauntlet.

"I was going to come out here and talk about how I love my daughter and would do anything to protect her." He continued. Apparently this was going to be the reverse of all of Elsa's expectations, gauntlet first and then drawn-out speech afterwards.

Obviously she didn't say that out loud on account of it being completely rude.

"That was my plan anyway after I, you know, shut the door on your face. But after I talked to Anna…and she stuck up for you like crazy, I-I really didn't know what to say."

"Anna stuck up for me?" Elsa asked with a straight face, although on the inside she was practically glowing.

"Did you expect any different?" he replied with a shade of suspicion across his face.

The blonde shook her head and decided to just let him continue instead of speaking anymore and probably ruining things…again.

"Anyway, it was only after I saw you in the kitchen with Anna and my wife did I realize…you're not a threat. Not to our safety, and especially not to Anna's. It's still hard for me to fully believe this but maybe, just maybe, that incident at the concert was just a misunderstanding. So I don't want to say that I trust you but…I'm getting there."

"But don't get me wrong, I'm still going to watch you two like a hawk. Just because I don't think you're a threat to Anna's health and safety doesn't mean you're not a threat for…other reasons."

_Other reasons? What does…oh._

Elsa turned and coughed to hide the blush creeping up in her cheeks, "S-sir I can assure you that me and Anna are taking things very slow and all we've done is-"

And much to her disbelief the man, who also seemed to be blushing just a tiny bit, made discernible noises that barely sounded like words in order to make her stop talking. "I…just…let's not, okay? Let's just stop talking about that, I _never _want to know what you two do when we're not around. Just…just remember she's still 14 okay?"

"Oh trust me I know." Elsa replied, completely relieved to get off this topic as well. "I respect Anna and wouldn't do anything that would take things…too far."

_Hahahaha you are such a liar._

She knew that all too well, but this seemed to be a lie that would benefit this whole situation provided she never actually told the truth. At least not for another…six years. Or ten. Or…twenty.

"Tell me something though, I still…I never want to see Anna that hurt again. So I need to ask, where do you see yourself going with my daughter?"

"I-I'm sorry?" Elsa asked, although she knew exactly what he meant.

"You know what I mean."

_Dammit._

"I…I guess I…"

Before she could continue her pathetic attempt at talking, the glass door behind them slid open and let out the smells of cheese and steamed, disgusting green stuff. Anna, on the other side of the door, smiled at the both of them. "Dinner's almost ready!"

Her father returned that same smile with a genetically similar one of his own. "We'll be right there, honey."

Once Anna closed the door again, he turned back towards the confronted blonde and repeated his same inquiry.

This time however, after merely seeing Anna again had boosted her confidence enough to speak coherently, she knew exactly what she was capable of saying, and what felt like the most appropriate response.

"Sir, I love Anna…and I'll be with her for as long as she'll have me."

And much to her surprise, the man responded with that same smile he had given to his daughter. "Good answer."

* * *

After that surprisingly well-off conversation, the rest of the night went smoothly. Dinner was delicious, even if it did basically come from a box. Elsa sat next to Anna, under the watchful gaze of Anna's parents of course. However things didn't feel awkward between them anymore, once they finally got food in their system anyway.

The four of them laughed and traded stories like this was just a regular dinner that they had done tons of times before.

Elsa learned more embarrassing moments of Anna's past that she could tease her with later. For example, apparently the fierce, brave redhead was actually afraid of cats.

"Oh you should have seen her whenever we'd pass a stray cat on the street." Her mother quipped. "She'd cling on to my arm so tight and never let go until we were a mile away."

"I am _not _afraid of cats!" Anna pouted, with her pigtails covering cheeks as red as her hair. "They just don't like me! Every time I see one they just hiss at me and look like they wanna start a fight!"

"And what do you do when that happens?" Elsa asked amusingly.

"I…walk away to show them that I'm faster than them."

And there was also the entertaining fact that Anna had wanted to be a wizard when she was a kid.

"Okay I was eight years old, I had _just_ read Harry Potter. How was I supposed to know that the whole thing was fiction?! And you can't tell me that you want magic to be real too."

"Actually I wouldn't, I'd much rather have superpowers than magic. Makes what you have feel more special and unique."

Thankfully for Anna's sake, it was her turn to be amused and not be on the spot. "Oh really now? And what superpower would you have? Super strength? The ability to read minds? X-ray vision?" She let out a fake gasp before uttering that last one.

Elsa grinned and raised an eyebrow, "Nah I'd do something less popular like…I dunno…shoot ice out of my hands or something."

The redhead laughed, "Okay there, Ice Queen."

After dinner had come and gone and there was a lull in the conversation, Elsa felt like it was finally time to call it a night.

"Thank you both for being so hospitable and understanding, but I really think it's time I head on home. My family has to be wondering where I've been this whole time." Elsa spoke while slowly getting out of her chair.

"We understand, have a good night Elsa." Anna's dad replied courteously.

And that was that. It was strange, she was expecting a much bigger send-off than that, but once she walked out of the house and shut the door those hopes were pretty much dashed. Still, she was okay with how the night ended because it could have been a whole lot worse. Despite a rough start, this couldn't have gone any better if she tried.

The star-speckled sky above her added a wave of calm that made for a satisfying view for the end of her night, and as the night breeze of spring-

"Were you seriously gonna leave without saying bye?"

Elsa turned around, knowing exactly who had said that, and met the redhead's pseudo-hurt gaze with a smile. "But I did say bye."

Anna scoffed, "Please that was one of those 'I don't want to say anything to piss off my girlfriend's parents' kind of byes. That doesn't count."

Elsa laughed, and so did Anna. Yet they didn't say anything else, instead as they let the silence blanket them if only for just a moment. And once that moment had passed, Anna walked over to the blonde, wrapped her arms around her stomach, and nestled gently into her embrace.

"Thanks for being here today." Anna muttered contently.

Those words struck a chord in Elsa that made her eyes start to grow misty, yet it wasn't _just _those words that had done it. It was so much more. "I should be the one thanking you." She shakily replied while tightening her arms around Anna's shoulders.

"What for?"

There were many ways that Elsa could have answered that. She could have thanked Anna for standing up to her dad today and probably being the one last push he needed to be comfortable with the both of them together. She could have thanked Anna for taking her back when she had been the absolute worst bitch on the planet. She could have thanked Anna for all the hugs and kisses and amazing moments they had shared together and would continue to share together, like this one right now. Hell, she could have thanked Anna for bumping into her in the halls of Arendelle High that fateful winter day. But she didn't thank her specifically for any of those, instead she thanked her for something that made a much bigger impact than all of those combined.

"For saving me, for making me believe that I could actually be loved again."

Anna replied by nuzzling her face into Elsa's shirt and giggling weakly, "You're welcome."

Elsa pulled them apart after a bit, only slightly because she felt her shirt start to get wet, yet still held the younger girl close to her. She looked affectionately at the way her eyes still held such vibrancy and joy even with tears making them red and puffy, at the way her lips quivered into a small, loving smile, and at the way her fierce red locks became tussled as a result of their embrace.

"I love you so much." Elsa said, overwhelmed at the sight of the beautiful redhead.

"I love you too." Anna replied.

And just as Elsa started to pull her in once more, for a kiss this time, the porch lights just so happened to turn right before their lips came together, and a voice on the other side of the door called out and said, "Alright, that's far enough."

Not wanting to overstay her welcome and overstep any more boundaries, Elsa let go of the redhead and apologized to her parents who were no doubt very close by.

"So…you'll call me when you get home right?" Anna asked as she started the nearly impossible task of fixing her hair enough to make it look like they hadn't done anything wrong.

Elsa brushed a strand of hair away from Anna's eyes and tucked it right behind her ear, she smiled and said "Of course I will."

**A/N: Well for all intents and purposes, More Than Just a Number is done. I mean I've still got an epilogue to write so if you wanna stick around for that you can. I'll also be writing my long drawn-out Author's Note there. But for now this is where the main story ends, not with a super huge bang (heheheh) but with a…what's the word for something that's smaller than a bang but bigger than a whimper? A talk? Yeah there we go, this fanfic ends in a talk. **

**To everyone that's stuck with me so far, thanks for being so supportive and letting me vomit out all…whatever this whole thing is. I'll get all warm and sentimental during the epilogue, for now I just wanna enjoy the rest of my break. Happy New Year everyone!**


	33. Epilogue

**Four Years Later**

"Okay are you _sure _you've got everything you need?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Are you absolutely sure? Like 1000% sure?"

"Elsa, I've got my wallet, phone, keys, and my gown is pretty much spotless. What else could I possibly need?"

"Well you can't be too careful. I mean after all…" Elsa walked over to the closet and poked her head in, not even bothering to check if her sister on the other side of the door had put any clothes on yet. "You only get to graduate once."

Thankfully Elise did actually put underclothes on and was just about to put on her graduation gown when the older blonde had barged in. "What are you talking about? _You_ graduated college like two weeks ago."

"Oh please." Elsa scoffed. "Everyone knows that high school graduations are so much more important than college ones."

"I highly doubt that." Elise refuted as she reached back and struggled to pull up the zipper on her gown. "Ugh, can you help me with this?"

Elsa walked closer to her younger sister and helped with the daunting task. "It's your first step into actual adulthood. There won't be as many people that'll hold your hand through all the adult stuff and responsibilities. Well except me of course, I'll help you with anything and everything…but I've already told you this. It's just…I want to make sure things are perfect for you tonight."

"I know you do, but you really don't have to be working this hard." Elise turned around and placed her hands on her older sister's shoulders. "Everything's gonna be fine, trust me."

"I'm sure it will be…it's just…" Elsa's expression darkened as she thought back to the worst day of her life, two years ago.

Elise could sense the distraught creeping throughout Elsa and she stood up on her toes and pulled her in closer for a hug, her oversized sleeves almost engulfing Elsa's entire torso. This wasn't the first time she'd had to comfort and console her older sister, and she always was the more emotionally stable of the two. "Shh, it's okay Elsa, just let it out."

"Fuck, no I shouldn't cry I'm…I'm ruining this night for you. I'm sorry." Elsa shakily replied.

"Hey come on now, what did I tell you about apologizing to me about stuff? And besides, you didn't ruin anything." Elise rubbed her sister's back as Elsa lowered herself and sunk deeper into the embrace.

"I just wish they could have been here to see you." Elsa tried her hardest to stop crying, mostly so she didn't ruin her sister's gown. But trying to stop tears from falling when you want them to is practically impossible. "It's not fair…"

"I know Elsa, I miss Mom and Dad too but it's okay. You know why?"

"…why?"

Elise lowered herself off her toes and let go of her still distraught older sister, keeping both hands squarely on Elsa's shoulders. "Because _you're_ gonna be there."

Elsa sniffled and forced out a weak smile, the words were more than just a nice sentiment, she was so lucky to have such a grateful younger sister.

"And not just you, but so is Anna, and so are all your friends that you somehow dragged into going to a highschool graduation, and of course so is Stitch."

She couldn't help but chuckle a little bit despite herself. "I can't believe you actually call him Stitch and not by, you know, his actual name."

"Hey he's my boyfriend and it makes him happy when I call him Stitch." Elise looked up dreamily and sighed. "And I do love making him happy."

Elsa shook her head to try and get the mental image of her baby sister "making her boyfriend happy" and put her hands up in defeat. "Alright I don't wanna hear any more of that just…" she looked down at her phone and gasped, "Oh shit! We gotta get going, are you ready?"

"Uh duh, I've been ready for like five minutes now."

"Well hurry on downstairs, I'll be right there."

"Fine, Ms. Bossy." Before Elise exited the closet and walked out of her room, she gave Elsa one more thankful hug. "I'll be waiting in the car."

As soon as Elise left the room, Elsa took one last look around to make sure her younger sister truly hadn't forgotten anything, and then patted her back pocket to make sure the slightly protruding box was still there.

This was gonna be a big night, for more than one reason.

* * *

Anna looked out into the long stripes of purple and green bleachers, hurriedly filling up with parents, friends, and others dying to see their loved ones graduate. Some had even brought beach balls, noisemakers, and lawn chairs to compensate for the length of time the ceremony would take and also how entertaining they wanted to really make it.

Because the band needed to be out on the field in order to play _Pomp and Circumstance _for about a million times as the students got to their seats out on the field, and because her dad was the director for said band, she had actually been here much earlier than, well, practically everyone else.

She scuffed her tennis shoes into the fake turf with each tap of her foot as she passed the time by lightly playing on the snare drum in front of her, a mix of anxiousness and excitement filled her as she counted down each second to graduation. So close, yet still so far.

Her life had taken so many twists and turns, some good and some bad, over these last four years that she couldn't possibly imagine what the next chapter of her life would hold. All she knew for certain was she was going to go to college with her same four friends, and spend an ungodly amount of time over the summer with Elsa to make up for the lost time they'd have once that summer was over. Other than that, her future was pretty much wide open.

A subtle hint of a blush rose in her cheeks as she thought back to the last time she and Anna had spent some alone time together, and her dirty mind probably would have wandered even further if a drumstick hadn't start to relentlessly poke at her cheek.

"Earth to Anna, you alright?" Stitch asked, continuing his assault.

"Gah, alright stop!" Anna slapped the stick away and rubbed at her cheek whilst pouting. "And yeah I'm fine, why wouldn't it be?"

"Well cause your cheeks got super red and I thought you were about to faint, so I just thought I'd ask."

"I wasn't about to faint, I was just-"Anna stopped herself as she tried to come up with a viable lie. "Just…uh...yeah." Perfect.

Stitch nodded with a sly grin, "Ooooh I get you. I've been there before, trust me. Hell just last week me and Elise-"

"Eww okay gross, let's just get off this subject. I do _not _wanna know what you two get up to in your alone time, so just…stop talking about it."

"Stop talking about what?" Lilo asked, who had magically appeared at her cousin's side like some sort of wizard. Although it certainly fit with the old adage that wherever Stitch was, Lilo wasn't far behind. And vice versa.

"Oh you know, just about Stitch being gross and inappropriate." Anna answered as she greeted her friend with a smile.

"Ha! You only have to suffer through that at school, try _living_ with this idiot and you'll know true torture." Lilo smacked the arm of her cousin which at first glance seemed to be just a playful punch. But Anna knew the dark-haired girl well, even her smallest taps packed a wallop; and that was apparent when Stitch pulled back and winced.

"You're both a bunch of jerks." Stitch pouted as he tried to get feeling back into his sore arm.

"Sorry I'm late you guys!" Violet spoke apologetically as she rushed over to the trio, clarinet case clutched to her chest and almost blending in with her gown.

"Late?" Anna replied with amusement, "Call time is at 6:30, you're pretty much on time."

"Oh come on now Anna, you've been in band for how long now?" the raven-haired girl quipped back. "You know how the saying goes, being early is on time…"

"…and being on time is late." The redhead finished the words that pretty much had become the gospel of the four for their entire high school lives.

"Alright enough band talk, we've done enough of that these past four years." Lilo added, her eyes widened as that realization hit her. "Holy crap, it's been four years. Guys…we're graduating in an hour!"

"Gee, it's almost like that's how time works or something." Stitch added sarcastically, which got him another punch to his good arm.

Anna watched with amusement and endearment as the two cousins started to bicker like always, she'd never get tired of this. In fact, she was actually going to miss it. They were moving on at the same time of course, but not going to the same places. Lilo and Stitch got amazing scholarships to be in Arendelle University's marching band so of course they were going there, but Violet had her sights set on going back to her hometown and going to college there. And where was Anna going? Well…

"What's wrong?" Violet asked.

"Hmm? Wh-what do you mean?" Anna said as she returned from being lost in her thoughts.

"You were smiling and then you weren't." Violet moved closer and put a hand on Anna's shoulder. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, I was just thinking about…well…." The redhead's assuredness started to waver as she felt the sickening sting in her eyes that meant she was about to cry again and ruin her gown. Her friend saw this and pulled her in for a hug, followed closely by her other two friends. Even Stitch, who didn't even have to be coaxed by his cousin to join a cheesy group hug.

"I'm really gonna miss you guys." Anna spoke hoarsely.

"I'm gonna miss you too." Violet sniffled, she herself had also begun to cry. "But I'll only be a couple hours away, and…and I'll call you whenever I can."

"Yeah, and me and Stitch won't be too far away from you either, Anna. We'll practically be like next door neighbors." Lilo reassured the redhead.

"I know but…this is the last time we'll ever be together like this, you know?"

It was then that Stitch, on the outskirts of this incredibly cheesy group hug, said something uncharacteristically profound. "Hey, we've got our whole lives ahead of us, which means we've got our whole lives to be together again. This isn't goodbye, Anna, it's more like a see you later."

Anna's smile was engulfed in the bundle of black cloth surrounding her. "Thanks for saying that Stitch, that's strangely deep for you."

"No offense taken."

* * *

"Oh look who decided to show up!"

"Shut up Flynn, it's not my fault I was late." Elsa rebutted. She maneuvered through the crowded bleachers to get to her friends, constantly apologizing for every toe she stepped on and to every person she inconvenienced by making them move out of the way.

"What Flynn meant to say is we're glad you're here." Mulan reassured her when she finally sat down. "No one we know personally is graduating, so it'd be kind of weird if we were here and you weren't."

Elsa flashed a quick pout back at Flynn before sighing and smiling gratefully. "Thanks again for showing up you guys."

"Hey we graduated two weeks ago, it's not like we have anything better to do." Kristoff added while scarfing down a hot dog, the wrappers scattered about suggested it hadn't been his first one. "Wouldn't want you to go to one of these things alone anyway."

"It's not for me, it's for Elise." Elsa corrected. "I mean yeah she's got all her friends to see her graduate, but when she walks up to get her diploma I don't want to be the only one screaming her name, you know? I want her to see that there's more than one person here in the stands that cares about her."

"Aww, you're such a loving older sister." Flynn said with only a sliver of sarcasm. "Even though, you know, we don't really know her."

"Well you and Rapunzel will have a lot of time to get to know her at the university now won't you, Flynn?"

"That depends, is she ever going to need textbooks or paper or basic school supplies while she's at Arendelle U?"

Elsa jokingly pondered this for a second, and then shook her head. "Yeah probably not." She leaned over and smiled at her hotdog-eating friend. "So Kristoff how's Belle?"

"Belle's fine." Kristoff replied after a burp. "She said to apologize for not being here, but _apparently_ kids won't learn to read by themselves. Are you…sure you're okay with me dating her?"

"Come on man we've been over this, as long as you two are happy then I'm happy. Besides I've been with Anna for how long now?" Elsa reassured her concerned and guilt-ridden friend.

"I just wanna make sure you're not mad or anything."

"Relax, I'm okay! Besides, you should be more concerned with Adam than me."

Before their conversations could go any further, the unmistakable sounds of a drumroll echoed through the speakers and the band signified the beginning of the ceremony. Elsa shifted in her seat and looked out towards the band, trying to catch the eye of her super talented drummer girlfriend welcoming everyone to tonight.

And somehow, as the students started to file into the grassy field, five minutes into another iteration of the graduation march she actually did catch Anna's eye. Through the sea of people they smiled at each other like they were the only two people here.

"Psst, Elsa. Look down." Mulan whispered.

She guiltily snapped her gaze away from the redhead and stared at her friend for a quick second before looking towards the direction she was gesturing to. Amidst the throng of gowns and smiling faces, she saw her little sister's hand poke out and wave excitedly towards her. Elsa returned the wave with a proud smile on her face.

"Holy shit I can't believe my baby sister is graduating." Elsa cooed. "Seems like yesterday I was watching her destroy all my stuff and be a little pain."

"Hope she enjoys this feeling." Flynn added. "After tonight, things will never be the same."

He didn't know how right he was.

* * *

After a couple hours of speeches, screaming, and hundreds of students walking up to the makeshift stage and grabbing their diplomas, the time had finally come to close the entire ceremony out. Anna sat restlessly on the edge of her chair, waiting with anticipation as the closing speaker said her final remarks. In just a few short moments she would throw her cap in the air, made unique by the sequined monkey with drumsticks on the top (70% Elsa's idea) the same design on the necklace around her neck, and she would close the book on another part of her life and get to work on the next one.

She tapped her fingers erratically on her lap and counted down the seconds until finally, _finally_, she heard the speaker say "Congratulations Class of 2019, you've made it! You may now throw your caps in the air."

The stadium erupted in a deafening roar as students and relatives alike rejoiced, Anna threw her cap high in the air, the sequins gleamed among the stadium lights, and she watched as they were all accompanied by the boom and bravado of fireworks lighting up the night sky.

A single tear rolled off her freckled cheek, and she caught her cap as it dropped down from its suspended state.

The rest of the night was an amazing blur, full of tears of joy, emotional hugs and goodbyes, and the bright flashes from cameras and phones. Anna finally found her parents after maneuvering through so many other families, greeting them both with a massive hug that was half tackle. "I did it!" she exclaimed.

"Yes you did honey, we're both just so proud of you!" her mother spoke with the same enthusiasm. "Oh my god I can't believe my little girl is growing up right in front of my eyes."

"Oh mom don't cry." Anna whined. "Because I've already been crying and if you start crying then I'll cry some more and we'll both look ridiculous!"

"I can't help it Anna, I never thought this day would actually come." Her mom sniffled, still trapping her daughter in her embrace. "And now that it's here…"

"Honey, maybe you should let go before you crush Anna?" her father thankfully suggested.

Anna felt the air come back into her lungs as her mother released her grip, she wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled gratefully at two of her favorite people in the world. "I love you guys so much. You have no idea."

"Oh I'm pretty sure we do. And I know your mother already said this, but we really are so proud of you, of what you've done and what you're going to do. We love you so much."

Anna was surprised, she hadn't seen this level of emotional sincerity from her father in ages. She wrapped her arms around him and whispered words of gratitude into his dress shirt. "I seriously do love you guys." She mumbled.

"Make sure to come back to the stage soon alright? You're not excused from putting away your equipment just yet."

Her parents walked off towards the stage and Anna immediately began to search the crowd for the last person she still needed to see. But her search was immediately halted when she immediately turned around and bumped into someone; however before she could falter and make a fool of herself, a hand reached out and caught her. She looked up to her savior and met the familiar blue eyes of the one person she was looking for.

* * *

"Hey look at that, I finally caught you this time." Elsa said with a cheeky grin.

"Just pull me up." Anna replied with the same expression.

The blonde did more than just comply, she pulled her girlfriend back up and then leaned in for a surprisingly passionate kiss, not caring who saw. She relished in the way Anna yelped before their lips connected and then practically melted into the act. They stayed together in each other's embrace for an eternity, or at least until Elsa pulled them both away to get some much needed air.

Elsa gazed into the hazy emerald eyes of her girlfriend who was still trying to register what just happened, and smiled at achieving the desired effect she was going for. "41-35." She said smugly.

"Since when did we start counting again?" Anna replied breathlessly.

"Since I started winning again."

Anna playfully punched Elsa's shoulder and chuckled. "Well that's gonna change pretty soon, trust me."

Elsa returned the chuckle and pulled her girlfriend in for a hug, the gesture she probably should have started with. "I'm so proud of you, monkey."

Anna nuzzled herself into the older blonde's shirt and smiled like it was a pillow and she was about to lay down to sleep after being awake for days. There was always something about being in Elsa's arms that gave her this ultimate sense of comfort and safety, this feeling that no matter what was going on in her life, Elsa would always be right there for her. "I wouldn't be here without you, you know."

"Oh come on, I didn't really do much. All I did was take you on dates and distract you whenever you were trying to study."

"Please, you know you've done more than that. It's why I love you so much."

For some reason Elsa's heart began pounding as she heard those words, even though she pretty much knew the reason. It was the same reason her heart _always _started to pound whenever she heard Anna say "I love you." Because after four years of saying those three little words, she felt like it was finally time to add a few more.

"You okay Elsa? You've been pretty quiet."

She felt a chill run down her spine and accidentally tightened her grip on Anna, Elsa pulled away before she could cause any more inadvertent damage. "Sorry, I uh…it's just…um…okay I just need to come out and say it."

Elsa took the box out of her back pocket and got down on one knee, it was time to stop putting this off.

* * *

Anna didn't know what to expect during her graduation, well except for actually graduating, but Elsa getting down on one knee with a small box that could hold only one thing inside of it was pretty low on her list of expectations.

Most girls in this situation would probably cup both of their hands over their mouth and wait in anticipation as their significant other finished their proposal. Anna on the other hand…did exactly that. Complete with a faint "Oh my god."

"Anna…we've been through a lot these past four years, and I know it hasn't all been easy but I…I feel like…I mean…I know that the age difference might still be a problem, like you just turned 18 and all…but…"

Anna waited with anticipation as she let the blonde continue her adorably clumsy speech.

"Wow I'm really messing this up. Anyway, I talked to your parents and they're surprisingly okay with this, s-so don't worry about getting your parents' permission or anything. Oh god I'm making this sound like I'm trying to sneak you into a Rated R movie. I'm so sorry, I suck at this."

"It's okay, just keep going." Anna replied, trying her best to contain her excitement.

"Okay okay, I'm sorry." Elsa sighed. "Anna, what I've been trying to say this whole time is…"

Anna already had the word "Yes" ready to roll off her tongue, she was just about to blurt it out before Elsa even finished…

…until she actually opened the box.

Instead of a ring like she expected, and what almost always waited inside of a small square box with a cloth lining and a slit in the middle where ring shaped objects can lie, there lay a key instead. It stuck inside the insert, the top half remained uncovered to showcase a key frame with a small monkey emblazoned in the center.

"…will you move in with me?" Elsa proposed.

* * *

Elsa knew that this was most likely a terrible idea and might not be the best kind of joke to pull on her girlfriend. But she still held faith that Anna would laugh it off, say yes, and appreciate Elsa's messed up sense of humor.

"You. _Jerk!_"

Or maybe not.

"I thought you were going to propose!" Anna huffed and stomped her foot hard into the ground.

Elsa really did try her hardest not to laugh…for like five seconds. She burst into hysterics so hard she felt as if her sides were going to rupture, not even registering the smacks raining down on her back by the redhead above her calling her a jerk over and over again.

"Okay Anna I'm –ow!- I'm sorry that I made you think that I was- OW!- proposing but I- alright can you stop hitting me now?!"

"NO!" Anna continued to pummel the older girl's shoulders. "I will never stop hitting you, you big…dumb…stupid…jerk!"

"So does that- ow!- mean you _don't _want to move in with me then?" Elsa knew that now might not be the best time to ask, what with Anna going full-on Hulk on her arms, but she genuinely did need to know Anna's answer.

A year after their parents' death, Elsa felt like it was time to move on and move out. She and Elise found a perfectly affordable apartment that fit all their needs (meaning it had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, also it was in an area that they wouldn't get stabbed for looking at someone). Anna spent a lot at their new place, usually on weekends and afternoons to study and…other stuff, so it seemed like common sense that she move in anyway. And with Elise moving out to live in a college dorm (She claimed that she wanted to do it to learn how to live by herself, but Elsa knew there was a lot more going on) that would leave an empty room in her apartment anyway.

There was no way Anna could possibly say no…right?

Right?

"…Anna?"

Elsa stood up when Anna stopped hitting her, a foreboding sign that maybe this joke wasn't such a good idea. She couldn't even look the redhead in the eyes, her…piercing, murderous looking eyes. Elsa started to calculate how many people she'd have to run down in order to get the hell out of the arena.

"One day when you least expect it, I will get you back for this." Anna growled menacingly. "You better watch your back every time we're together, every time you think you're safe…every time I wake you up with my drumming…every time I cook you dinner…"

Elsa's ears twitched as she heard Anna's voice soften and she finally found the courage to look into her eyes and was greeted with a kiss, one of the best ones she'd ever received. Not just because it was accentuated by the way Anna just up and went for it, which Elsa loved, and how it was pretty much the best, most undeniable "Yes" ever.

Anna pulled away and looked up at the blonde with confidence over a job well done, she held the box in her hand that somehow made its way out of Elsa's, and smugly stated "41-36."

**A/N: Oh boy, alright here we go. Time to be all sappy and emotional, alright lemme just psyche myself up here.**

…

**Alright I'm back. Thank you to each and every person that read this, I know I've said this a thousand times already but you're 50% of the reason I kept writing this in the first place (the other 50% is because I hate when writers don't finish their stories). It hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows, I've gotten burned out multiple times and sidetracked even more times than that but I sincerely hope I wrote a story worth reading through to the very end.**

**I'm gonna be honest, all I had before writing this was the initial idea. The idea that Elsa was 18 and against all odds, even though there were millions of other girls in the world, she falls in love with someone that barely just started being a teenager. The rest of the story unfolded on its own really. A lot of stuff just came to me **_**while **_**I was writing the specific chapter. I don't know if that's a bad writing habit or not but hey it's what I did and what I'll continue doing.**

**Speaking of what I'll continue doing, I kept this whole ending epilogue…thing completely open ended and prone to possibilities. And I put this huge four year gap between Chapter 33 and the Epilogue for a reason. I may or may not revisit this universe and write a few more epilogue chapters. It really depends on how I'm feeling and how much time I have. But in terms of new fanfic ideas I've already got one lined up…it's gonna be kinda weird. Then again what do you call this whole damn thing am I right? …alright I'll shut up. **

**But yeah I'll keep writing fanfics for the foreseeable future, besides I mean after writing a crap ton of essays and academic stuff it's nice to write stuff that's less…dumb. **

**Again thanks for taking the time to read and I'll see you all again when I write a new thing!**


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